Radiographic Technique: PosteroAnterior (PA) Skull Radiograph 2


This week is a less commonly made extraoral radiograph but still occasionally seen in dentistry. Here is how to position a patient for this radiograph.

1. Place the coronal plane of the patient parallel with the image receptor. If there is a craniostat to help position this will be GENTLY placed in the ear canals to achieve this and rotate it 90 degrees from the lateral cephalometric skull radiograph position.

posteroanterior skull radiograph positioning 12. The source of radiation should be perpendicular (90 degrees) to the image receptor, with the source of radiation entering from the posterior aspect of the head and centered over the bridge of the nose.

posteroanterior skull radiograph positioning 23. Irradiate the patient. (Since you can’t see x rays I’ve noted them with a white bar for the image)

posteroanterior skull radiograph positioning 34. The resultant radiograph.

posterioanterior skull radiograph example

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below. Thanks and enjoy!





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