Bone x-ray

The test is done in a hospital radiology department or in the health care provider's office by an x-ray technician. For the test, you will position the bone to be x-rayed on the table. Pictures are then taken, and the bone is repositioned for different views.

Tell the health care provider if you are pregnant. You must remove all jewelry for the x-ray.

The x-rays are painless. Changing position for getting different views of the bone may be uncomfortable.

A bone x-ray is used to look for injuries or conditions affecting the bone.

Abnormal findings include:

• Fractures or broken bone
• Bone tumors
• Degenerative bone conditions
• Osteomyelitis (inflammation of the bone caused by an infection)

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:

• Cystic fibrosis
• Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) II
• Multiple myeloma
• Osgood-Schlatter disease
• Osteogenesis imperfecta
• Osteomalacia
• Paget's disease
• Primary hyperparathyroidism
• Rickets

There is low radiation exposure. X-ray machines are set to provide the smallest amount of radiation exposure needed to produce the image. Most experts feel that the risk is low compared with the benefits.

Children and the fetuses of pregnant women are more sensitive to the risks of the x-ray. A protective shield may be worn over areas not being scanned.

Chernecky CC, Berger BJ. Bone radiography-diagnostic. In: Chernecky CC, Berger BJ, eds. Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures. 6th ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders; 2013:181-266

Mettler FA. Skeletal system. In: Mettler FA, ed. Essentials of Radiology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2014:chap 8.