X-ray

X-rays can take pictures of the inside of your body. X-rays help your doctors:

  • See bone injuries
  • See issues in your abdomen
  • See an infection (like pneumonia)
  • See heart and large blood vessel problems
  • See fluid inside your lungs
  • See tumors

Are X-rays Safe?

An X-ray uses a small, safe amount of radiation to take pictures. The low levels of radiation from a single X-ray don't affect most people. We may put a lead shield on parts of your body that are not being X-rayed. This reduces your exposure to radiation.

If you're pregnant or think you may be, talk to your doctor before getting an X-ray.

Getting Your X-ray

Before you have your X-ray, we may ask you to take off your jewelry and put on a hospital gown.

We point the X-ray device at the part of your body we need to see the inside of. You'll be asked to remain as still as possible while we take the X-rays. The X-rays pass through your body and we can see the picture it makes on a computer or using film.

X-rays don't hurt, and they only take a short time to get them.

Like many hospitals across the U.S., we no longer use lead shields for patients when we take X-rays. That's because the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) support no longer using shields for imaging exams.

Getting Your Results   

You can see your results in MyChart. You'll need to talk to your doctor about the results.