While it is true that often doctors and medical specialists can diagnose you by taking a look at you and listening to your symptoms, sometimes they need to see what is going on inside. One of the best ways of looking beyond the barrier of your skin is through X-rays. While you might be familiar with an X-ray, you might not know exactly how it functions.
Especially, if a doctor suspects that there might be something wrong with your thoracic cavity, you might have to get a chest x-ray done. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about a chest X-ray.
What is a Chest X-Ray?
A chest X-ray is also known as chest radiography, and it involves the use of small doses of an ionising material to create the images of the inside of the chest area. Similar to every other type of X-ray, chest X-rays also employ electromagnetic radiation that channels high energy to pass through objects like the skin. It is used to produce the images of tissues and structures inside the chest cavity. Essentially, chest X-rays are used to evaluate the medical condition of organs such as the heart, the chest wall, and the lungs. It also generates the images of the blood vessels, airways, and bones of the chest and spine.
Doctors use chest X-rays to determine if there is something wrong within this area of your body. It helps them diagnose various conditions as well as make a treatment plan.
What is a Chest X-Ray Used For?
While a chest x-ray can be used for various purposes, depending on the particulars of a case, there are certain common uses of the procedure. As mentioned above, a chest X-ray is used to take a look at the lungs, the heart, as well as the chest wall.
A chest X-ray is often used as an imaging test to help with the diagnosis of symptoms such as:
- Breathing difficulties
- Persistent cough
- Any chest injury or pain
- Fever
A chest X-ray can help a doctor diagnose, or oversee treatment, for health conditions such as:
- Heart failure of other problems
- Lung cancer
- Pneumonia
- Emphysema
- Air or fluid collection in or around the lungs
- Other possible medical conditions
- Check positioning of certain medical devices
How to Prepare for a Chest X-Ray?
Unlike other medical tests, when you go in for a chest X-ray, you do not need to prepare. At most, you might have to take off some items of clothing or change into a special gown for the exam. Additionally, you might be asked to take off any jewellery or dental appliances, along with metal objects such as eyeglasses.
The only thing to keep in mind while going for a chest X-ray as a woman is that you must notify your doctor and the technician if you are pregnant. Doctors tend to avoid performing X-rays on pregnant women as they prefer to protect the foetus from radiation. However, if an X-ray is must, then the doctor will take precautions to minimise any radiation exposure to the baby.
How is a Chest X-Ray Conducted?
Equipment:
Before delving into the exact procedure of a chest x-ray, it is important to understand the equipment involved to get familiarised with it. The equipment mainly consists of a box-like apparatus mounted on the wall. This box contains the X-ray film or a special plate to record images digitally. Additionally, an X-ray producing tube is placed at a distance of 6 feet.
The instrument may also be alternatively arranged in a position such that the X-ray tube becomes suspended over a flat surface like a table on which the patient is asked to lie. There is a drawer under the table consists of a digital recording plate or an X-ray film.
If you need to have a chest X-ray done at another location, you can do so. Today, technicians use portable X-ray machines and carry it over to an emergency room or hospital bed.
Functioning:
As mentioned before, X-rays are a form of radiation that pass through most objects, including various parts of the body. To conduct a chest X-ray, a technician will aim the X-ray beam on the area of interest. The machine will then produce a tiny burst of radiation that will pass through your body. The radiation helps generate an image on film or a specialised detector.
Different components of your body will absorb differing degrees of the X-rays. For instance, denser bones absorb more radiation whereas soft tissue allow more of them to pass through. This, bones will show up as white in an x-ray image whereas tissues show up in grey.
Procedure:
Normally, a chest X-ray consists of two views: one from the behind and another from the side of the body. The positions depend on how the patient stands in relation to the image recording plate. A specially trained technician will perform such radiology examinations. The technician usually positions the patient with their hands on their hips and their chest pressed to an image plate. For the side view, your side will be placed against the plate with your arms elevated. If you are unable to stand, you may be asked to lie down on a flat surface or table for chest X-rays.
While an X-ray is being taken, you must stand very still. You might even be required to remain still by holding your breath (only for a couple of seconds) as the technician performs the procedure. Doing so ensures that the resultant image is not blurry. The technician usually walks into another room or at the back of a wall to turn on the X-ray device.
As soon as the examination is complete, the technician will ask you wait. This is done so that the radiologist can confirm that all the required images have been acquired.
The entire process, from the beginning to end, take a total of 15 minutes.
While it may not seem like it, a chest X-ray is a revolutionary method that can be of immense help to doctors and patients alike. From diagnoses to treatment, it is instrumental in providing data that would have been impossible to obtain otherwise.
