What can a chest x-ray show?

Chest X-ray is a type of X-ray examination, and chest X-ray examination is also a relatively convenient and quick way to check whether there is disease in the chest cavity. Through the detection of the instrument, it can be checked whether there is lung disease, heart disease, bronchial disease, etc. in the human chest cavity. Chest X-ray can also be used to detect the mediastinum inside the chest cavity.

What chest diseases can be diagnosed by X-ray?

The chest is an area of ​​the human body with good natural contrast. The different penetrating abilities of X-rays on the heart and lungs are used to create images of different densities on the X-ray film or fluorescent screen, which can clearly show the lesions in the lungs and the outline of the heart without the need for contrast imaging. Therefore, chest X-ray examination has become one of the most widely used diagnostic methods.

There are two commonly used chest X-ray examination methods: fluoroscopy and filming. If you have unexplained fever, long-term cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, hemoptysis, cyanosis, palpitations, and thoracic spine deformities, a chest X-ray may be performed if the doctor deems it necessary.

Chest X-ray examination has a high accuracy in diagnosing bronchial foreign bodies in children. It can also display lung inflammation, atelectasis, emphysema, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, etc., and understand the scope and extent of the lesions. It can also display the size and shape of the heart and large blood vessels, and diaphragmatic lesions such as diaphragmatic swelling and diaphragmatic hernia. In addition, chest X-rays can also observe changes in the chest bones. However, chest X-ray examination has certain limitations. The organs and tissues within the mediastinal shadow, such as the heart, aorta, veins, lymph nodes, nerves, esophagus, trachea, etc., cannot be distinguished except for the trachea.

X-ray examination is a particularly important examination item. It is usually included in routine physical examinations. Through X-ray examination, we can clearly understand the health status of our body.

Increased lung texture - People who smoke frequently will experience

The most common abnormal chest X-ray is that the black areas turn white, or the white areas turn black. This is abnormal. Common diseases of the former include inflammation, tuberculosis, tumors, pleural effusion, etc., while common diseases of the latter include emphysema, pneumothorax, etc.

People who smoke frequently will show increased lung texture, but their lung movement will be normal, mainly due to particle deposition caused by long-term smoking.

Lungs turn white - a sign of pneumonia

When you have been caught in the rain, or have been overworked recently, resulting in a decrease in resistance, you may experience symptoms such as chills, fever, and cough. If you go to the hospital for a chest X-ray, it may show a less dense, more uniform, cloud-like shadow with blurred edges and no clear boundary between the normal lungs. This is why the black areas in the lungs turn white. It is caused by exudation of acute inflammation. When acute lung inflammation progresses to a certain stage, the gas in the alveoli is replaced by fluid, protein and cells exuded from the blood vessels, forming exudative consolidation. This consolidation replaces the gas in the original alveoli, thereby blocking the X-rays and causing a white shadow to appear on the X-ray film.

Shadows in the lungs - what diseases might this be?

In addition to pneumonia, other diseases that can cause shadows in the lungs include tuberculosis and lung cancer. Therefore, when lung shadows appear, a detailed examination should be conducted in a timely manner to confirm the condition and then carry out targeted treatment.

Pulmonary tuberculosis: In addition to causing shadows in the lungs, patients with pulmonary tuberculosis often experience symptoms such as coughing, sputum, hemoptysis, low-grade fever in the afternoon, fatigue, night sweats, and loss of appetite. If Mycobacterium tuberculosis can be found in the sputum and the skin tuberculin test is strongly positive, pulmonary tuberculosis can be diagnosed and anti-tuberculosis drugs should be actively used for treatment.

Lung cancer: Lung cancer is one of the common causes of shadows in the lungs. Patients may also experience intermittent or persistent symptoms such as blood in sputum, dry cough, and low fever. Although some patients do not have any symptoms, chest X-ray examinations may reveal flake-like shadows or masses. In this case, lung cancer should be suspected, especially for patients who have not responded to anti-infection treatment. Special attention should be paid.