The Nose of the Scotty dog corresponds to which vertebral feature?

• A. Pars interarticularis
• B. Pedicle
• C. Transverse process
• D. Inferior articular process

Answer: (C)

On an oblique lumbar view, the vertebrae resemble a Scotty dog, and each part of the dog corresponds to a part of the vertebra. The nose of the dog maps to the transverse process because that lateral projection from the vertebra forms the snout in the radiographic silhouette. The rest of the features align similarly—the neck is the pars interarticularis, the eye is the pedicle, the ear is the superior articular process, and the front leg is the inferior articular process. This helps you quickly identify the transverse process on the image, which is useful when evaluating for abnormalities in that region.