Chest X-Ray

Overview

Chest x-rays may be used to assess heart status (either directly or indirectly) by looking at the heart itself, as well as the lungs. Certain conditions of the heart may cause changes in the lungs and/or the vessels of the lungs. Changes in the normal structure of the heart, lungs, and/or lung vessels may indicate disease or other conditions. Conditions that may be assessed with a chest x-ray include the following:

• enlarged heart
  
  
• aortic aneurysm - a weakened area of the aorta, the main artery that carries oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.
  
  
• aortic trauma
  
  
• pericardial effusion - a collection of blood or fluid in the sac surrounding the heart.
  
  
• calcification of heart structures (such as valves)

What are X-Rays?
X-rays are made by using external radiation to produce images of the body, the organs, and other internal structures for diagnostic purposes. X-rays pass through body structures onto specially treated plates (similar to camera film) and a "negative" type picture is made (the more solid a structure is, the whiter it appears on the film). For this reason, bones appear very white on an x-ray film, but less dense tissue such as muscle, blood, skin, and fat, appears darker.

The picture above is a chest x-ray. The large, white space in the middle is the heart. The dark spaces on either side are the lungs. The small object in the upper corner is an implanted pacemaker.

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