A chest X-ray uses a focused beam of radiation to look at your heart, lungs and bones. Healthcare providers use chest X-rays to diagnose or treat conditions like pneumonia, emphysema or COPD. Chest X-rays are quick, noninvasive tests. Usually, you will know the results of your X-ray within one to two days.
A chest X-ray is a test that creates an image of your heart, lungs and bones. Another name for a chest X-ray is chest radiograph.
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X-rays use focused beams of radiation. These radiation beams create pictures of the inside of your body. X-ray images look like the negative images of black-and-white photographs.
Chest X-rays help healthcare providers diagnose problems that cause symptoms in your heart or lungs. Some of these symptoms include:
Your healthcare provider may also recommend a chest X-ray to diagnose or monitor certain health conditions, including:
A radiology technologist performs chest X-rays. These technologists have specific training in X-ray testing.
Your body’s tissues vary in thickness. When radiation passes through your body, each structure in your body allows a different amount of radiation to pass through.
For example, your bones are very thick and don’t allow much radiation to pass through. Bones look white on an X-ray image. Your lungs, however, allow more radiation through. Your lungs look gray on an X-ray image.
Healthcare providers look at the colors and shading on an X-ray to diagnose and treat health conditions.
Chest X-rays require little to no preparation. When you get ready for the appointment, wear loose, comfortable clothing that does not contain metal (zippers, snaps, bra closures) and leave jewelry at home.
If you have body piercings, ask your X-ray center for specific instructions. Body jewelry can interfere with clear images. You may need to remove it or replace it with an acrylic retainer.
You may change into a medical gown at your doctor’s office. The X-ray technologist will also ask you to remove all metal, such as eyeglasses, jewelry or hairpins.
Typically, your chest X-ray consists of two parts:
During the chest X-ray, you need to remain very still and hold your breath. Any movement, even breathing in and out, can blur the X-ray image.
Chest X-rays usually take a few minutes to complete.
After the X-ray, your radiation technologist may ask you to wait a few minutes while they look at the images. If any of the images are blurry, the technologist may have to retake the X-rays.
The X-ray images are sent to a radiologist who reviews them for normal and abnormal findings. Your healthcare provider will then review the images and radiologist's report so they can discuss your X-ray results with you.
X-rays use a very small amount of radiation. The risks are minimal for adults. Lower radiation X-rays can be used in smaller children to minimize the risk in that population.
Always tell your healthcare provider if there is a possibility that you are pregnant. Radiation exposure can cause damage to a developing baby. In general, the amount of radiation used for simple chest x-rays is so small that it's considered safe during pregnancy, but your healthcare provider will help make the decision to do the x-ray based on the urgency of your symptoms.
In non-emergency cases, you will usually know your X-ray results within one to two days. In an emergency, you will usually know your results in a few minutes or hours.
Call your healthcare provider if you experience:
A chest X-ray is a test that looks at your heart, lungs and bones. Chest X-rays use a small dose of radiation to create a black-and-white image. Healthcare providers can look at this image to diagnose and treat broken bones, heart conditions and lung problems. Chest X-rays are quick, noninvasive procedures done in a healthcare provider’s office or the hospital. In non-emergency situations, you will know your chest X-ray results in one to two days.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 05/17/2021.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy