What is an X-ray study?
An X-ray study (also called a radiograph) is a type of medical imaging (radiology) that creates pictures of your bones and soft tissues, such as organs. X-rays use safe amounts of radiation to make these pictures. The images help your provider to diagnose conditions and plan treatments.
Most often, providers use X-rays to look for fractures (broken bones). But X-ray images can help providers diagnose a wide range of injuries, disorders and diseases. X-rays are a safe and effective way for providers to evaluate your health.
Who might need an X-ray?
People of all ages, including babies, can get an X-ray. If there’s a chance you might be pregnant, tell your provider before getting an X-ray. Radiation from an X-ray can harm your fetus.
Your provider may order an X-ray to:
- Check for a broken bone (fracture).
- Identify the cause of symptoms, such as pain and swelling.
- Look for foreign objects in your body.
- Look for structural problems in your bones, joints or soft tissues.
- Plan and evaluate treatments.
- Provide routine screenings for cancer and other diseases.
What are the types of X-ray studies?
Several types of X-rays take pictures of different areas inside your body. Some X-rays use contrast material (also known as dye) to make the images clearer. Some of the most common types of X-rays include:
- Abdominal X-ray: This X-ray shows images of your kidneys, stomach, liver and bladder. It helps providers diagnose conditions like kidney stones and bladder stones. There are some special kinds of abdominal X-rays such as a barium enema that use special dyes (called contrast) to evaluate parts of the digestive system.
- Bone X-ray: Your provider uses a bone X-ray study to see broken bones (fractures), dislocated joints and arthritis. Images from bone X-rays can also show signs of bone cancer or infection. A spine X-ray looks at the bones and tissues in the spine.
- Chest X-ray: This test looks for abnormalities in the heart, lungs and bones in the chest like pneumonia.
- Dental X-ray: Regular dental X-rays allow your provider to evaluate your teeth and gums, look for infection and check for cavities.
- Fluoroscopy: A fluoroscopy shows moving images of organs and soft tissues (such as your intestines). Your provider views your organs in motion on a screen (kind of like an X-ray movie). GI X-ray exams often use fluoroscopy.
- CT scan (computed tomography): A radiology study that uses X-rays and a computer to create cross-section images of bones, organs and tissues. This is a donut-shaped machine that you slide through as it takes images.
- Mammogram: Providers use mammograms to take X-ray pictures of breast tissue, evaluate breast lumps and diagnose breast cancer.
How do I prepare for an X-ray?
Tell your healthcare provider about your health history, allergies and any medications you’re taking. If you’re pregnant, think you might be pregnant or are breastfeeding (chestfeeding), tell your provider before getting an X-ray.
You usually don’t need to do anything to prepare for a bone X-ray. For other types of X-ray, your provider may ask you to:
- Avoid using lotions, creams or perfume.
- Remove metal objects like jewelry, hairpins or hearing aids.
- Stop eating or drinking several hours beforehand (for GI X-rays).
- Wear comfortable clothing or change into a gown before the X-ray.