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Chest X-rayRead the Chest X-ray article » What is a chest X-ray?A chest X-ray is a radiology test that involves exposing the chest briefly to radiation to produce an image of the chest and the internal organs of the chest. An X-ray film is positioned against the body opposite the camera, which sends out a very small dose of a radiation beam. As the radiation penetrates the body, it is absorbed in varying amounts by different body tissues depending on the tissue's composition of air, water, blood, bone, or muscle. Bones, for example, absorb much of the X-ray radiation while lung tissue (which is filled with mostly air) absorbs very little, allowing most of the X-ray beam to pass through the lung.
What is a shadow on a chest X-ray?Due to the differences in their composition (and, therefore, varying degrees of penetration of the X-ray beam), the lungs, heart, aorta, and bones of the chest each can be distinctly visualized on the chest X-ray. The X-ray film records these differences to produce an image of body tissue structures and these are shadows seen on the X-ray. The white shadows on chest X-ray represent more dense or solid tissues, such as bone or heart, and the darker shadows on the chest X-ray represent air filled tissues, such as lungs. How is the chest X-ray procedure performed?Patients obtaining a chest X-ray will often be requested to use an X-ray gown, and extra metallic objects such as jewelry are removed from the chest and/or neck areas. These objects can block X-ray penetration, making the result less accurate. Patients may be asked to take a deep breath and hold it during the chest X-ray in order to inflate the lungs to their maximum, which increases the visibility of different tissues within the chest. The chest X-ray procedure often involves a view from the back to the front of the body as well as a view from the side. The view from the side is called a lateral ... Recommended Reading Related to Chest X-rayWhat is microsporidiosis? What causes the disease?Microsporidiosis is a disease caused by infection with microscopic organisms called microsporidia. Microsporidia are eukaryotic parasites that must live within other host cells in which they can produce infective spores. These spores cause microsporidiosis, a disease which is primarily seen in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Microsporidiosis can cause infection of the intestine, lung, kidney, brain, sinuses, muscles, and eyes. Although there are over 1,200 species of microsporidia, the most prevalent pathogens (disease-causing agents) in humans include Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, and Encephalitozoon intestinalis. How are microsporidia transmitted?Microsporidia spores are released from the stool and urine of infected animals. A number of animals, including insects, birds, and mammals, can serve a... Other Related Chest X-ray ArticlesEmergency Contact for West Babylon
Nearby West Babylon Hospitals * Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center  BonSecours Health & Wellness Center  Brunswick Hall Center  South Oaks Hospital  Sagamore Children's Psychiatric Center  Southside Hospital  New Island Hospital  Pilgrim Psychiatric Center  Plainview Hospital  Nassau University Medical Center  Syosset Hospital  Huntington Hospital  St Catherine of Siena Medical Center  Northport VA Medical Center  Mercy Medical Center  Winthrop University Hospital  South Nassau Communities Hospital  Long Beach Medical Center  Franklin Hospital  St Francis Hospital The Heart Center  Glen Cove Hospital  Stony Brook University Medical Center  Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center  Long Island Jewish Medical Center  Schneider Children's Hospital  North Shore University Hospital at Manhasset  The Zucker Hillside Hospital  Queens Children's Psychiatric Center  Creedmoor Psychiatric Center  The Holliswood Hospital  St John's Episcopal Hospital South Shore  John T Mather Memorial Hospital  St Charles Hospital  Cornerstone of Medical Arts Center Hospital  Peninsula Hospital Center  Queens Hospital Center  Jamaica Hospital Medical Center  Flushing Hospital Medical Center  New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens  New Parkway Hospital  Rye Hospital Center  Forest Hills Hospital  Stamford Hospital  Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester  Greenwich Hospital  Bronx Children's Psychiatric Center  St Vincent's Hospital Westchester  Bronx Psychiatric Center  Calvary Hospital  Jack D Weiler Hospital  New York Westchester Square Medical Center  Jacobi Medical Center  Elmhurst Hospital Center  Norwalk Hospital  Beth Israel Medical Center  Mount Vernon Hospital  The Brookdale University Hospital & Medical Center  Wyckoff Heights Medical Center  North Division of Montefiore Medical Center  MMC South Bronx Health Center  The Burke Rehabilitation Hospital  St Barnabas Hospital  Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center Fulton Division  Lawrence Hospital Center  Montefiore Medical Center  Hall-Brooke Behavioral Health Services  The Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens  North Central Bronx Hospital  Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center  Interfaith Medical Center  Kingsboro Psychiatric Center  Woodhull Medical & Mental Health Center  Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center Concourse Division  James J Peters VA Medical Center  New York Presbyterian Westchester Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
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