Improper patient positioning for retrograde urethrogram

Retrograde urethrography is recommended for diagnosis of urethral injury. To completely image the urethra, the patient should be placed obliquely at an approximately 45 degree angle with the top leg straight and bottom leg bent. If the patient is imaged in the anterior-posterior position, the anterior urethra will be poorly seen (A). By comparison, the oblique image shows the urethral injury (B).