True Lateral Body Positioning Arrangement For Radiography

Abstract

A body and support arrangement is provided for adjusting and supporting a patient lying laterally recumbent upon flat examination tables where the body members must be maintained immobile and aligned as nearly as possible parallel with respect to the top of the table and positioned as if in a lateral, vertical stance. A plurality of positioner blocks are provided having body member accepting notches or bridges and surfaces for holding the ankles and knees, and supporting the abdomen and pelvis in a true lateral position.

Description

This invention relates generally to diagnostic examining tables, and more particularly it pertains to body positioner accessories.

Diagnostic X-ray examinations on a laterally recumbent body are sometimes misleading because the body organs and members are under a different gravitational vector and do not lie in a true lateral plane in respect to the top surface of the table. As in the case of radiology, much time has been lost from repeat examinations because of movement and malalignment of the patient during radiography. Various cushions, sponges, sandbags, folded sheets, and pillows have been employed for positioning and immobilizing the patient; but results from such practice often are not satisfactory and above all, are not reproducible and so are misleading.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple combination of adjustable and functional shapes in body support blocks that can be used on various types of transverse pelvic widths by simply adjusting the position of the blocks to obtain a true lateral position of the body during diagnostic X-ray examinations.

Other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent and understood from the following detailed specification and single sheet of drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents a patient reclining in a true lateral-recumbent position with the novel blocks of this invention immobilizing, adjusting, and positioning the body in a true lateral position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 1 showing another block especially designed for positioning the abdomen of the patient;

FIG. 3 is a perspective depiction of a crest positioner;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a knee positioner;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an ankle positioner; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an abdomen positioner.

The positioner blocks of this invention are made of X-ray permeable and semiradiolucent material, preferably of stiff, semiyielding material such as Styrofoam, Styrene, or Ethafoam. A set of four uniquely shaped blocks will suffice for all holding requirements as will be described.

A crest positioner 10 is shown in FIG. 3 and is constructed from a cylindrical piece of Styrofoam, and then fabricating surface 12 to resemble a cone with a sloping, inclined-round surface.

A knee positioner 14 shown in FIG. 4 is constructed from rectangular block by cutting away oppositely facing arcuate portions to provide an upper notch 16 and lower notch 18, having an intermediate bridge portion 20 of relatively narrow dimension.

The ankle positioner 22 shown in FIG. 5 is similar to the knee positioner 14, but having narrower upper and lower notches 24 and 26, respectively, proximate a somewhat wider bridge portion 28 that accommodates the greater space between the ankles of a patient.

FIG. 6 illustrates an abdomen positioner 30 which is wedge-shaped by cutting a rectangular block diagonally to provide a sloping, flat surface 32.

In use, the patient is placed in the lateral-recumbent position. The knee positioning block 14 is placed between the knees of the patient as shown in FIG. 1. This, it will be noted, will superimpose both knees in the opposed notches 16 and 18, previously described in connection with FIG. 4.

Next, the ankle positioning block 22 is placed between the ankles of the patient and similarly it will be noted how readily and comfortably the ankles are superimposed, one above the other, without the discomfort of contacting ankle bones.

The crest positioner 10 is placed and adjusted under the patient at the top of the crest of the ilium, with the sloping, inclined-round surface 12 toward the patient. This surface 12 adjusts and places the lumbar and thoracic spines horizontally colinear.

The abdomen positioner 30 is used mainly for lateral pelvimetry radiography. As shown in FIG. 2, this positioner 30 is placed under the anterior portion of the abdomen and prevents the patient from rolling forwardly, and thus maintains a true lateral position of the body.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

I claim:

1. A true lateral-recumbent-positioning arrangement for radiography of a patient, comprising, four spaced positioner blocks formed of X-ray permeable and semiradiolucent stiff, semiyielding material for adjusting and holding the ankles and knees and for adjusting and supporting the abdomen, lumbar and thoracic spines and pelvis of a patient horizontally colinear with respect to the top surface of an X-ray examination table, said positioner blocks consisting of a crest positioner block, an abdomen positioner block, a knee positioner block, and an ankle positioner block, said crest positioner block consisting of a segment of a cylinder having an inclined-round surface for placing under and adjusting and supporting the lumbar and thoracic spines and pelvis of said patient colinearally with respect to said top surface of said X-ray examination table, said abdomen positioner block consisting of a wedge of triangular cross section having a sloping flat surface for adjusting and supporting the anterior portion of said abdomen of said patient and for preventing said patient from rolling forwardly and for maintaining a true lateral-recumbent position of said patient, said knee positioner block having oppositely facing arcuate portions providing an upper notch and a lower notch and having an intermediate bridge portion of relatively narrow dimension between said notches for adjusting and supporting the knees of said patient, with said knees being superimposed and aligned in a true lateral position, and said ankle positioner block having oppositely facing arcuate portions providing narrower upper and lower notches and having a wider bridge portion which accommodates the greater space between the ankles of said patient, with said ankles being superimposed, one above the other, without discomfort of contacting the ankle bones of said patient, whereby said ankles, knees, abdomen, lumbar and thoracic spines and pelvis of said patient can be positioned horizontally colinear in respect to said top surface of said X-ray examination table for radiography of said patient.

2. A true laterial-recumbent-positioning arrangement as recited in claim 1, wherein each said positioner block is formed of a stiff, semiyielding material of the class of Styrofoam, Styrene, and Ethafoam.