Fluoroscopic evaluation of skeletal problems

Fluoroscopically positioned spot films are widely used in gastrointestinal and chest roentgenography. Little or no mention is made of the diagnostic use of fluoroscopic spot filming for skeletal roentgenography in major texts or recent literature, and a rough survey of practicing radiologists showed us that such procedure was frequently underutilized or not utilized. While skeletal pathology is usually depicted quite accurately by plain radiographs there are times when a problem may be rapidly and simply clarified by fluoroscopically positioned spot films. In an attempt to assess the value of fluoroscopy for evaluation of musculoskeletal problems, we reviewed 46 cases in which fluoroscopically positioned spot films were obtained. (orig.)