What are the benefits vs. risks?
Benefits • A physician may recommend various x-rays for different problems such as, chest radiograph for a patient with shortness of breath, a bad or persistent cough, chest pain, or a chest injury. It is useful in detecting pneumonia, pleurisy, cancerous masses and fluid collection around the heart. • X-Rays for abdomen are mainly to detect kidney stones. • X-Rays of extremities, pelvis etc. is mainly for fractures, bony masses and infection. Risks • X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation, are invisible and create no sensation when they pass through the body. Modern x-ray techniques only use a fraction of the x-ray dose required in the early days of radiology. • Special care is taken during x-ray examinations to ensure maximum safety for the patient by shielding the abdomen and pelvis with a lead apron, with the exception of those examinations in which the abdomen and pelvis is being imaged. Women should always inform their doctor or x-ray technologist if there is any possibil
