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Key Points
- A chest x ray is a painless, noninvasive test that creates
pictures of the structures inside your chest, such as your heart and lungs.
- This test is done to find the cause of symptoms such as shortness
of breath, chest pain, chronic cough (a cough that lasts a long time), and fever.
- The test helps doctors diagnose conditions such as pneumonia,
heart failure,
lung cancer, lung tissue scarring,
and sarcoidosis. Doctors
also may use chest x rays to see how well treatments for health
problems are working. Also, doctors often use chest x rays before certain
types of surgery to look at the structures in the chest.
- X rays use ionizing radiation to create pictures of the inside
of your body. Chest x ray is the most common x-ray test used
to diagnose health problems.
- Chest x rays have few risks. The amount of radiation used in
one chest x ray is very small. Sometimes, a lead apron may be
used to protect certain parts of your body from the radiation.
- You don't have to do anything special to prepare for a chest
x ray. However, you may want to wear a shirt that's easy to
take off. You also may want to avoid wearing jewelry and other metal objects.
- Before the test, let your doctor know if you're pregnant or
may be pregnant. In general, women should avoid all x-ray tests
during pregnancy. Sometimes, though, having an x ray is important
to the health of the mother and fetus. If an x ray is needed,
the technician will take extra steps to protect the fetus from radiation.
- A chest x ray usually takes about 15 minutes. You'll sit, stand,
or lie for the test. Usually, two views of the chest are taken. The
first view is from the back. The second view is from the side. You'll
need to hold very still while the pictures are taken. The technician
may ask you to hold your breath for a few seconds. These measures
help prevent blurry pictures.
- You usually can go back to your normal routine right after a
chest x ray. In an emergency, you will get the x-ray results
right away. Otherwise, it may take 24 hours or more. Talk to
your doctor about when you should expect the results.
- Chest x rays do have limits. They only show conditions that
change the size of a tissue or how radiation is absorbed. Also,
chest x rays create two-dimensional pictures. This means that
denser structures, like bone or the heart, may hide some signs
of disease. Very small cancers and
blood clots in the lungs
usually don't show up on chest x rays. For these reasons, other
tests may be needed to confirm a diagnosis.
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What Are the Risks
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