Thumb series
Last revised by Gni Liew
on 9 May 2023
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Shetty A, Liew G, Murphy A, et al. Thumb series. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 09 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-29862
rID:
29862
Article created:
28 Jun 2014,
Aditya Shetty
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Aditya Shetty had no recorded disclosures.
View Aditya Shetty's current disclosures
Last revised:
9 May 2023,
Gni Liew
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Gni Liew had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Gni Liew's current disclosures
Revisions:
20 times, by
11 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Thumb series radiographs
- Thumb series x rays
The thumb series is comprised of a posteroanterior, oblique, and lateral projection. The posteroanterior projection is interchangeably performed anterioposter or posteroanterior depending on mobility. It examines in detail the first metacarpal and its articulations. Thumbs have a vital impact in our day to day lives, often injuries of the thumb can have life-changing consequences if they are serious enough 2.
See fractures of the thumb for more information.
Indications
Thumb x-rays are indicated for a variety of settings including:
- suspected metacarpal dislocation
- foreign body detection and localization
- investigation of joint pain or deformity
- mechanism-specific injuries such as skier's thumb
Projections
Standard projections
-
AP/PA view
- demonstrates the first metacarpal in the natural anatomical position
- excellent view to inspect shafts of the metacarpal
- excellent view to evaluate any avulsions at the ulnar corner of the base of the proximal phalanx (see figure 4)
-
oblique view
- external oblique projection of the thumb
-
lateral view
- orthogonal view of the AP/PA view
- essential view to examine joint spaces
References
- 1. Whitley AS, Sloane C, Hoadley G et-al. Clark's positioning in radiography. Hodder Arnold Publication. ISBN:0340763906. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Peter Brüser, Alain Gilbert. Finger Bone and Joint Injuries. (1999) ISBN: 9781853176906 - Google Books
Incoming Links
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