A chest X-ray may be ordered by your health care provider. A chest X-ray is a picture of the inside of the chest, used to evaluate the lungs, heart, and other structures of the chest. For a chest X-ray, you may first be asked to remove jewelry, like a necklace, from the chest area, and change into special clothing from the waist-up. You will be asked to stand in front of a special panel and positioned for one or more pictures. The technologist will aim the X-ray tube at your chest from about 6 feet away. You will then be asked to take in a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds for each picture.
This information has been approved by Will Cook, ARRT, MA and Eric Yager, ARRT, BS (January 2019).
