STOPPAGE: STandardisation Of suPine Pelvic rAdioGraph tEchnique
Research type
Research Study
Full title
STandardisation Of suPine Pelvic rAdioGraph tEchnique (STOPPAGE). Validating a different centring point for pelvic radiographs in a supine position.
IRAS ID
294098
Contact name
Fiona E Mellor
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
AECC University College
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Radiographs (X-rays) of the pelvis and hips are commonly undertaken to look for causes of pain, after injury or before and after hip surgery. During a radiographic examination the radiographer will position the patient to ensure all the relevant anatomy is included and will position the X-ray beam to the centre of the image area based on palpable anatomical landmarks. It is important that the radiographic technique is standardized to enable repeat examinations to be comparable, but textbook and clinical practitioners describe a range of different methods. Variation can lead to problems with measurements which determine patient outcomes which has implications for orthopaedic surgeons who need accurate measurements to plan hip replacements and assess the joints.
This research builds upon previous a previous project and a recent retrospective (unpublished) anonymised image review study to determine the most effective centring point for pelvic radiographs (based upon different anatomical landmarks) and will validate a proposed different technique against standard practice in the clinical setting.
Initial assessment of image quality using an anonymised audit of previous data will provide a baseline and identify any inherent quality issues which may bias the study outcomes. We will then use two clinical radiography sites, one site will continue with current practice and the other site will use the different technique.
Radiographers at the intervention site will undergo training to ensure adherence to the different procedure. The radiographs from both sites will be compared for variation in the following:
• Included anatomy (greater, lesser trochanters, and iliac crests)
• Axial, sagittal, coronal rotation
• Image quality
• Radiation dose
• Rejected images
These measurements will be used to inform the reliability and acceptability of the different method compared to standard care. Feedback will be sought from the study delivery team at the intervention site regarding the ease of utilising the developed standardised technique.REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SC/0130
Date of REC Opinion
26 Apr 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion