Prep the Patient

Part of the success of your scan collection comes from an informed and prepared patient. Follow these guidelines:

• Provide your patient with a backless exam gown.
  • Female patients should remove their bras and any neck jewelry.
  • Male patients can use the gown or remove their shirt, loosen their belt, and expose S1. Remove any neck jewellery.
• The neck should be exposed with hair tied back. Tip: Provide a disposable hair elastic or hair clip if needed.
• Clean the patient’s skin with cotton balls dipped in alcohol or alcohol wipe packets, especially in the neck hairline region. This removes dirt and excess oils which can affect conductivity.
• Ensure that:
  • The patient did NOT exercise within 45 minutes of scan.
  • The patient is seated upright on a stool facing away from examiner.
  • Their hip/knee position is 90 degrees.
  • Hands are resting on thighs, palms up.
  • Ask the patient to hold their gaze on a picture or point directly in front of them.
  • Hint: have the scanning screen out of their view as it can distract them.
  • The patient does NOT move and has good, but not rigid posture during exam.
• Be familiar with spinal landmarks: especially S1, L1, T1, T7, C7, C2, C1L and R (fossa).

Prepping Children:

Children can be scanned with the neuroCORE from the ages of 5 and above. Some skilled examiners can accomplish this scan at 3-4 years of age depending on how calmly a patient can sit.

An EMG tests the seated gravitational load and so the patient must sit, without twitching or moving. A scan on a child may be interrupted and restarted if they move unexpectedly. A segment can also be easily rescanned if a poor collection is made.

• A shorter, 9 segment collection is adequate to achieve calculations used in the Children’s CORESCORE. Go to settings > Scan Protocols and create this sequence.
• Consider S1, L3, L1, T10, T6, T3, C7, C5, C2, as the levels chosen (you can choose C1 unilateral as an option for C2).
• You may want to choose unilateral beginning at C5 to accommodate narrow spines.
• Set the sensors to collect approximately ½” – ¾” from the spinous process.

Patient checklists are available through INSiGHT Media and are recommended! Click here for more information.