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Chest X-Ray - Why It Is Done
About this test
A chest X-ray is done to:
- Help find the cause of common symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain.
- Find lung conditions—such as pneumonia, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), collapsed lung (pneumothorax), or cystic fibrosis—and monitor treatment for these conditions.
- Find some heart problems, such as an enlarged heart, heart failure, and problems causing fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), and to monitor treatment for these conditions.
- Look for problems from a chest injury, such as rib fractures or lung damage.
- Find foreign objects, such as coins or
other small pieces of metal, in the tube to the stomach (esophagus), the
airway, or the lungs. A chest X-ray may not be able to see food, nuts, or wood
fibers. See an
X-ray of a coin in the esophagus
. - See if a tube, catheter, or other medical device has been placed in the proper position in an airway, the heart, blood vessels of the chest, or the stomach.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: July 13, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Howard Schaff, MD - Diagnostic Radiology | |
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