X-Ray

You don’t need to do anything special to prepare for an X-ray. You can eat and drink as normal beforehand and can continue taking your usual medications.

However, you may need to stop taking certain medications and avoid eating and drinking for a few hours if you’re having an X-ray that uses a contrast agent. Your appointment letter will mention anything you need to do to prepare.

For all X-rays, you should let the radiographer know if you’re pregnant. X-rays aren’t usually recommended if you’re pregnant unless it’s an emergency.

It’s a good idea to wear loose comfortable clothes, as you may be able to wear these during the X-ray. Avoid wearing jewellery and clothes containing metal (such as zips), as these will need to be removed.

During an X-ray, you’ll usually be asked to lie on a table or stand against a flat surface so that the part of your body being examined can be positioned in the right place.

While the X-ray is being taken, you’ll need to keep still so the image produced isn’t blurred.  You won’t feel anything while it’s carried out. More than one X-ray may be taken from different angles to provide as much information as possible.

The procedure will usually only take a few minutes.

Some X-rays use contrast material (also called contrast agent or dye). It makes certain structures in your body, like blood vessels, easier to see.

The contrast material comes as a liquid, powder or pill. We will give you the contrast material before the X-ray. Depending on the type of X-ray, you may receive the contrast material:

• Orally (by mouth).
• Through an injection into a vein (IV) or your cerebrospinal fluid.
• By inserting it into your rectum (enema).

The exact steps of an X-ray depend on what kind of X-ray you’re getting. In general, during an X-ray using contrast we will:

1. Give you contrast medium (if necessary) through an injection or enema, or have you swallow it. You may feel flushed or warm for a little while after an IV injection of dye. Some people get a metallic taste in their mouth. These side effects go away in a few minutes.
2. Ask you to sit, stand or lie down on a table.
3. Position the camera near the body part that they’re getting a picture of.
4. Move your body or limbs in different positions and ask you to hold still. They may also ask you to hold your breath for a few seconds so the images aren’t blurry.

Results from a bone X-ray are often ready right away, but the time it takes for a radiologist to examine your scan can vary.

Issues that can show up on X-rays include:

• Arthritis.
• Broken bones.
• Bone changes or abnormalities.
• Herniated discs in your spine.
• Infections.
• Kidney stones.
• Scoliosis and other spine curvature conditions.
• Tooth cavities.
• Tumours.

Keep in mind that while certain abnormalities can show up on X-rays, they don’t always. In other words, things like kidney stones and tumours aren’t always visible on an X-ray, even if they’re there.

An X-ray can take anywhere from a few minutes to 15 minutes, depending on the body part being examined and the number of images needed.