Heart Disease Health Center

What Affects the Test

Reasons why the test results may not be helpful include:

• Not being able to stay still and hold your breath when asked during the test.
• Metal objects (such as spinal fixation rods and metal jewelry or belts) that get in the way of the X-ray picture.
• Obesity, which can hide chest problems or make it hard to get a good X-ray picture.
• Chest pain that can make it hard for you to take a deep breath during the X-ray.
• Scarring from past lung surgery or changes from a chronic disease, which may make the X-ray pictures hard to read.

A picture taken with a portable machine may not be as clear as those made by a stationary machine.

What To Think About

• Your X-ray test results may be different from earlier test results because you were tested at a different medical center or you had a different kind of test.
• If a chest X-ray is not normal, more specific X-rays or other tests such as a CT scan, ultrasound, MRI scan, or a biopsy may be done.
• Some conditions may not show up on a chest X-ray, such as a small cancer, a pulmonary embolus, or other problem that is hidden by the normal structures in the chest.
• Certain workers, such as people who work with asbestos, may need regular chest X-rays to check for problems caused by asbestos.