X ray how long for results

When you arrive in the x-ray department, the radiographer might ask you to change into a hospital gown. Women may need to remove their bras as metal clips and underwiring can show up on the x-ray. You usually have a chest x-ray standing up against the x-ray machine. If you can't stand you can have it sitting or lying on the x-ray couch. The radiographer will help you to get into the correct position.

This might take a couple of minutes. The radiographer lines the machine up to make sure it is in the right place. You must keep still. The radiographer then goes behind a screen to take the x-ray. They can still see and hear you. They might ask you to hold your breath for a few seconds.

X-rays are painless. It only takes a fraction of a second. You usually need to have more than one x-ray taken from different angles. So the whole process might take a few minutes. Within 24 hours, your doctor will receive a written radiology report, as well as copies of the images for their own inspection. MRI or magnetic resonance imaging employs the use of a large magnet to create very detailed images of the body. Unless MRI results are needed urgently, it will take two or more weeks to get the report to your doctor or radiologist.

In an emergency, the test results of certain types of X-rays can be available within a few minutes for your doctor or radiologist to review with you. If it is not an emergency, X-ray results are usually ready in 1 or 2 days and sent to either your general physician or to be reviewed with your radiologist. Ultrasound is an imaging test that uses sound waves to create detailed digital pictures of the inside of the body that are projected onto a screen.

Ultrasounds are another test where results are available to be reviewed by your doctor or radiologist either in real-time during the test or immediately after the test.

Other benefits of ultrasounds are that they are quick, painless, and do not expose you to ionizing radiation.

You may have some temporary side effects from the contrast agent if one was used during your X-ray. For example, barium can turn your poo a whitish colour for a few days and an injection given to relax your stomach before the X-ray may cause your eyesight to be blurry for a few hours. Some people develop a rash or feel sick after having an iodine injection. The X-ray images will often need to be examined by a doctor called a radiologist before you're told the results.

They may discuss their findings with you on the same day, or they may send a report to your GP or the doctor who requested the X-ray, who can discuss the results with you a few days later. People are often concerned about being exposed to radiation during an X-ray. However, the part of your body being examined will only be exposed to a low level of radiation for a fraction of a second.

Generally, the amount of radiation you're exposed to during an X-ray is the equivalent to between a few days and a few years of exposure to natural radiation from the environment. Being exposed to X-rays does carry a risk of causing cancer many years or decades later, but this risk is thought to be very small.

For example, an X-ray of your chest, limbs or teeth is equivalent to a few days' worth of background radiation, and has less than a 1 in 1,, chance of causing cancer. For more information, see GOV. UK: patient dose information. The benefits and risks of having an X-ray will be weighed up before it's recommended. Talk to your doctor or radiographer about the potential risks beforehand, if you have any concerns. Page last reviewed: 13 July Next review due: 13 July How X-rays work X-rays are a type of radiation that can pass through the body.

When X-rays are used X-rays can be used to examine most areas of the body. Problems that may be detected during an X-ray include: bone fractures and breaks tooth problems, such as loose teeth and dental abscesses scoliosis abnormal curvature of the spine non-cancerous and cancerous bone tumours lung problems, such as pneumonia and lung cancer dysphagia swallowing problems heart problems, such as heart failure breast cancer X-rays can also be used to guide doctors or surgeons during certain procedures.

Preparing for an X-ray You don't usually need to do anything special to prepare for an X-ray.