4.4 - Surface Anatomy And Setup
What common surface anatomy landmarks are used to verify treatment setup position?
Try to identify landmarks from each region of the body – head, neck, limbs, thorax, abdomen, pelvis.
Head landmarks
Commonly used landmarks:
- The tragus of the ear
- The columella of the nose
Neck landmarks
Thermoplastic masks are commonly used, allowing direct marking of the mask to aid treatment. Other landmarks used:
- The sternal notch (suprasternal notch, SSN)
Thorax landmarks
Commonly used:
- The sternal notch
- The xiphisternum
- The nipple
Abdominal landmarks
Commonly used:
- The xiphisternum
- The pubic symphysis
- The umbilicus
Limb landmarks
Commonly used:
- Joints (eg. metacarpal-phalangeal, distal radius, patella, malleolus)