X-rays are imaging tests that create pictures of the inside of the body. You can know more about them on this page here. The images are shown back in black and white, and they come in different shades. These tests are what doctors use to view the internal parts without making any cuts and incisions. The films that were the result of x-rays are used to monitor, diagnose, and aid in the recovery of many illnesses.
You may need separate x-rays for the different parts of your body. If there’s a need to examine your GI tract, the process may include an order for a barium enema, and a mammogram is often used for the breasts. You can get a proper x-ray near you through accredited clinics near your area.
Mammography: This is a thorough examination where the breasts are put between a paddle and a support plate. Afterwards, a series of x-rays are taken, and the doctor will look for symptoms of cancer and tumors on the films.
Computed Tomography or CT Scan: This is a computer-related series of x-rays put together. It’s taken from different sides and angles, and the result is a 3D image. This will give the physician a better view of nearly all parts of the body like the heart, liver, kidney, and more.
Fluoroscopy: This is often dubbed as “a movie” where the shots are continuous. The physician may run the rays through some parts of your body and see how they are moving. This is common for the lungs, heart, kidney, muscles, bones, and joints.
When is it Performed?
Your physician may order a series of procedures, laboratory tests, and x-rays if the following is needed:
- Further examinations of areas where you may feel discomfort and pain
- Monitor the progressions of osteoporosis and other diseases
- Check your overall condition for a particular treatment
- Know if a medication prescribed by your GP is working
Conditions that Need an X-Ray
- Enlarged heart
- Breast tumors
- Digestion Issues
- Infection
- Fractures
- Arthritis
- Tooth Decay
- Retrieving Swallowed Items
- Spinal Gunshot Wounds
- Broken Bones
- Dislocated Joints
- Cancer
- Abdominal Pain
Doctors often used this imaging to find an object that a toddler has accidentally swallowed. You can search for an X-ray near me on the web and see if you can get emergency help if this happens. Some will send an ambulance right away, and they may conduct surgery to get the object out in no time.
What Happens During this Procedure?
You don’t need to prepare or do anything special if you are going for an x-ray. The technicians can ask you to change in a private room, take off your watches, eyeglasses, jewellery, and other metals. These things may hinder the images, and they could get in the way of getting a good picture of your internal body.
You can stand up or lie down depending on the body part that the doctor will check. Everything is done in a flash, and beams send radiation throughout your body. The dense bones block these beams so that they will result in white on the film. Radiation will make the fats, muscles, and other softer tissues grey because they don’t block the beams as bones do. The air inside the lungs will generally look black on film.
You need to hold still and ensure that you don’t do extra movements. You won’t necessarily feel anything, and the entire process is not painful. The technicians may flash a few more beams from different angles. They may use props like pillows to get a better view of the lungs, and you may want to hold your breath so that the images will be clearer.
In other instances, the technicians may give you contrast agents like iodine or barium to see the contrast more clearly. They may give it to you through a quick shot, or you swallow a pill for it. The machine will likely make buzzing and clicking noises during the process. For complicated issues that are related to the bone, it can take an hour for the x-ray to be completed. Learn more about bone radiography here: https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bonerad.
When to Know the Results
The radiologist is a medical doctor who is specially trained to understand and read the x-ray findings. He will look at the images and write his impressions about the films. Nowadays, x-rays are more on the digital side, so the radiologist can see them as soon as the beams go through the body, and this is very handy in case of emergencies. For non-emergency patients, the results can take a day or two to be completed.
