What is a lateral decubitus X ray?
The term decubitus means lying down. Without qualification, the term decubitus radiograph is meaningless. A “decub” is obtained with the patient lying with his or her left or right side down. A right lateral decubitus radiograph is an image obtained with the patient lying with his or her right side down, the x-ray tube oriented in a horizontal position on one side of the patient, and the image capture device (usually a “cassette”) oriented perpendicular (upright) to the tube on the other side of the patient. To prevent any confusion, the best terms are right-side-down decubitus and left-side-down decubitus views, referring to the position of the patient.
