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An X-ray, which is short for x-radiation, is a type of imaging test that has been utilized for years among medical professionals. With this technology, physicians can see your bones, muscle and more without having to make a single incision. This helps them diagnose, treat numerous different medical conditions.
X-ray images are created using a machine that sends out X-ray particles through the body. The X-ray particles themselves are called photons, and they allow for a specialized film or computer to capture the images that are created.
Many times dense bodily structures, like bone or metal, can prevent X-ray particles from traveling through them. On the X-ray image, this causes these structures to look white. If a structure contains air, it will appear black on the image created. Muscles, fat, and fluids appear in many various gray shades.
When your physician asks for you to get an X-ray, it’s usually for one of the following reasons:
X-rays are generally performed on a bone, teeth, the abdomen, chest, mouth, neck, skull, pelvis, hands, and joints, or you can undergo a full-body X-ray. Although most people think of broken bones or fractures when they think of X-rays, these images are also useful in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis, osteoporosis, infections, cancerous tumors, blocked blood vessels and many other medical conditions.
When you arrive, you will meet with a technologist who is specially trained to perform the procedure. Most X-rays do not require any special preparation on your part. However, you will have to remove jewelry or other metallic objects and may need to wear medical scrubs (top and pants) or a hospital gown. In some cases, contrast dye is injected beforehand. If you’re pregnant, let us know ahead of time as fetuses are more susceptible to the X-ray’s potential risks.
When you go in for your X-ray, a technologist will tell you how to position your body. Depending on which area of the body that needs to be studied, you may be asked to sit, lie down or stand in several positions during the test. In most cases, you will sit or lie down as a large camera attached to a steel arm moves over your body to capture X-ray images. The technologist will ask you to stay as still as possible as motion can blur the images.
After your X-ray, the technologist will process the images and send them to your physician. The results from the X-ray could be available that same day or a little later. After your doctor reviews your X-rays, they may offer a further diagnosis and prescribe a course of treatment. However, depending on what the X-rays show, they may need to order additional imaging scans, blood work or other diagnostic measures.
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