Chest X-ray

What is a heart chest x-ray?

A chest X-ray is a scan of the chest that can provide images of the heart, lungs, blood vessels, and much more. It uses a small amount of radiation to make pictures of these areas. 

It helps show us the size and shape of the heart and detect any abnormalities. It can also clearly show us whether there is any build-up of fluid in the lungs that a heart concern may have caused.

Chest X-rays are routine practice before heart surgery, so you may need scans if you have been booked for this procedure.

We may also need to perform a chest X-ray to ensure that any implanted materials, such as pacemakers, are in the right place.

Procedure

There is not much to prepare ahead of time before having an X-ray. You can eat and drink as normal. However, depending on your medication, you may be advised to avoid certain medications before the procedure. We will discuss with you what you are currently taking and whether we need to adjust them. 

We advise you to wear loose, comfortable clothing that you can easily remove, as you will be undressing from the waist up to perform the scan. We will also need all jewellery removed during the scan, so we advise coming to the appointment with as little jewellery as possible.

Please let us know if you are pregnant, as X-rays are not generally recommended for pregnant women unless it is an emergency.

Results and aftercare

You will not experience any after-effects from the scan and can return to your normal activities.

A radiologist will evaluate your scans separately to determine what may be causing your symptoms. Dr Ravi Assomull, our expert cardiologist, will then evaluate the radiologist’s report and the images to reach a final conclusion.

If abnormalities are found on the scan, we may follow up with additional tests to investigate further.