The value of axial view in the radiography of shoulder girdle--experiences with a new modification of positioning.

A series of 117 patients underwent radiography of the shoulder girdle, performed using a modification which allowed the examination of also severely injured patients in the axial view. The findings in the frontal and axial views were compared. A total number of 161 pathological findings were discovered; out of them 30 were visible only in the frontal view and 49 only in the axial view. The series indicates that the axial view can be taken painless in patients with recent injury, and that the frontal and axial views considerably supplement each other.