| Abdomen X-rays | ||
| Abdomen
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The second most common When you report for your Abdomen films, the first thing the technologist who will be doing your exam will do is check to see what kind of clothes you have on. If you are wearing pants, shirt, or a skirt with zippers, snaps, or buttons on them, the technologist will have you change into a hospital gown so that your films do not look like you've been having strange things for lunch. If your clothing appears okay, then the technologist may allow you to stay in your street clothes, though many will have you change anyway just to avoid the chance of some unexpected object showing up, such as safety pins holding up a slip. You will then be asked to lay flat on your back on the x-ray table and the technologist will feel for various "land marks" that will allow him or her to position you correctly. You will then be given instructions on how and when to hold your breath in order to cut down on motion caused by breathing. One picture will be taken, and then you will be asked to wait while the technologist develops the x-ray film and evaluates it. If everything needed shows up on the first film, then you will be allowed to leave. Otherwise the technologist will need to take a second x-ray. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have a poor technologist taking your films, some people just don't fit on one film. The difference in gas patterns (air in the stomach and/or intestines) between when you, the patient is lying down and standing up can also be helpful. For this reason your doctor may order a "Flat and Upright" Abdomen or a "Abdomen Series". In a flat and upright study, the technologist will take one picture of you laying flat, and then one picture with you standing up. If it's an abdomen series, a single view of the chest will also be taken to insure that the area right under the diaphragm is clearly visible. This study can be used to help diagnose quite a few different problems, ranging from a bowel obstruction to gall stones. If the patient is not able to stand for a flat and upright abdominal study, the technologist will substitute a "decubitis" or "decube" film. For this film, you, the patient, will be asked to lay on your left side, and a film with a special filter called a grid attached will be placed either against your back or against your stomach. This film will show everything an upright abdomen will, plus it is a lot safer for both you and the technologist if there are any doubts about your ability to stand. Take it from me, catching a falling patient can be very hard on your back. Still, many things in the abdominal area will not show up on plain x-rays, which is why exams like Upper G.I.'s, Barium Swallows, BE's (short for Barium Enema), Small Bowel Follow Through (SBFT for short), and IVP's often follow up the plain films taken of the abdomen when you are first treated. For more information on any of these exams, please follow the indicated link on the side bar. |
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x-ray exam is of the abdomen
or stomach, often referred to as a KUB (short for Kidneys, Ureters, and Bladder, the three
body parts most commonly looked for on a flat abdomen film). Perhaps the most common
question I hear about this exam is how can an x-ray show anything in the abdomen when
x-rays are only good for seeing bones. Certainly it is a valid question considering what
most patients have been told about x-rays, and it is true that x-rays do not do a good job
of demonstrating what is commonly referred to as "soft tissue". What makes a KUB
work as a x-ray is that it is the difference in tissue densities that determines what
shows up on a x-ray, and since there is a fairly large difference in density between the
fat that covers many internal organs as a sort of shock absorbing protective cover, and
the muscles surrounding them, there is enough difference on the completed x-ray to enable
the doctor to distinguish some things. Add to this the fact that many problems will cause
air, which shows up as a black object on x-rays, to be trapped in the intestines and they
can be even more helpful in evaluating what is going on.