IVU X-ray positioning (intravenous urography series)
One of the routine abdomen views. The patient lies on their back, the beam passes front to back (AP), straight on to the receptor, and the centring point is the midline at the iliac crests.
By the ScanFlo Editorial Team · Updated
In this section · X-ray positioning
- X-ray positioning guides
- Skull positioning
- Face & sinuses positioning
- Soft tissue neck positioning
- C-spine positioning
- Chest positioning
- Shoulder positioning
- Humerus positioning
- Elbow positioning
- Forearm positioning
- Wrist positioning
- Hand positioning
- T-spine positioning
- Abdomen positioning
- L-spine positioning
- Sacrum & SI joints positioning
- Pelvis positioning
- Hip positioning
- Femur positioning
- Knee positioning
- Tibia & fibula positioning
- Ankle positioning
- Foot positioning
Still being checked: a radiographer is reviewing this guide. If your department does it differently, follow your department.
Patient position
Supine. Follow the IVU timetable: control film, contrast injection by the doctor, then timed films; keep the patient supine on the table until the doctor has seen all films.
Centring & collimation
Central ray
APCentre: the midline at the iliac crests.
Beam: AP, perpendicular to the receptor.
Collimate: kidneys to bladder
Distance, receptor & grid
| Setting | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SID | 100 cm | |
| Receptor | 35 × 43 cm | portrait |
| Placement | Table bucky | Grid in |
| Angulation | None | Perpendicular to the receptor |
Marker & breathing
- Marker: R and L markers, each film timed from the injection
- Breathing: Breathe out and hold.
Exposure by patient size
Treat these as a starting point. Your detector, your generator and the patient in front of you will all move the numbers.
| Patient size | kV | mAs (chart) | mAs (DR default) |
|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 80 | 10 | 4 |
| S | 80 | 16 | 6.3 |
| M | 80 | 20 | 8 |
| L | 80 | 32 | 12.5 |
These start from a classic film-screen chart (80 kV, 32 mAs at 140 cm) and are adjusted for a digital detector at 100 cm. The DR column is what ScanFlo's console suggests; each step up or down changes the mAs by about a quarter. Control film at 70 kV 63 mAs; contrast films at 80 kV.
Image quality checklist
- Each film is labelled with minutes after injection.
- Kidneys, ureters and bladder are shown on the series.
- A doctor and resuscitation drugs are present when contrast is given.
- The anatomical side marker is visible, correct and clear of the anatomy.
- Collimation borders are visible on all sides, no wider than the area requested.
Faults & how to fix them
| Fault | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Ureters not filled | Peristalsis | Take a prone film at 25 minutes if the doctor asks. |
| Film timing unknown | Time not noted at injection | Record the injection time before the first post-contrast film. |
Common questions
- Where do you centre for an intravenous urography (IVU) series X-ray?
- The centring point is the midline at the iliac crests.
- What distance and beam angle does an intravenous urography (IVU) series need?
- 100 cm from the tube to the receptor. The beam passes front to back (AP), straight on to the receptor.
- What size receptor, and do you need a grid?
- Use a 35 × 43 cm receptor, portrait, in the table bucky. A grid is needed.
- What should the patient do with their breathing?
- Ask them to breathe out and hold it while you expose.
- What goes wrong most often on an intravenous urography (IVU) series?
- Ureters not filled. Usual cause: peristalsis. The fix: take a prone film at 25 minutes if the doctor asks.
Try it in ScanFlo: the ScanFlo XR X-ray Room, coming soon, lets you set up a intravenous urography (ivu) series in a 3D room and score your positioning. See ScanFlo XR →
Written by the ScanFlo team from everyday radiographic practice.