Abdominal X-Ray Exam

Overview

What’s an Abdominal X-Ray and What Does It Show?

An abdominal X-ray is a safe and painless test that uses a small amount of radiation to make an image of the inside of the abdomen, or belly. The X-ray shows the stomach, liver, spleen, small and large intestines, and diaphragm (a muscle that helps you breathe and separates the lungs from the stomach and intestines).

An X-ray for the abdomen may help doctors find the cause of belly pain or vomiting. It can sometimes spot kidney stones, an obstruction (blockage), a perforation (hole) in the intestines, or a mass like a tumor.

Sometimes, the X-ray can show a swallowed foreign object (like a coin). Abdominal X-rays also can help see if medical tubes are in the right spots in organs, like the stomach or intestines.

Top Things to Know

• An abdominal X-ray is a quick test that makes pictures of the inside of the abdomen (belly).
• The X-ray may help find the cause of things like vomiting, belly pain, and other problems.
• The test uses a very small amount of radiation, which is safe for kids.
• Your child will need to stay still for a few seconds so the images come out clear.

What to Expect

How Does an Abdominal X-Ray Work?

In an abdominal X-ray, an X-ray machine sends a beam of radiation through the abdomen, and an image is recorded on special X-ray film or a computer screen.

The X-ray image is black and white. Dense body parts, like bones, block the passage of the X-ray beam through the body. These look white on the X-ray image. Softer body tissues, like the skin and muscles, let the X-ray beams pass through them. They look darker on the image.

What Happens Before an Abdominal X-Ray?

To get ready for an abdominal X-ray, kids may be asked to remove clothing and change into a hospital gown because buttons, zippers, and clasps might affect the image. The test often happens in a special room that has a table and an X-ray machine. A parent can usually stay in the room. Tell the X-ray technician if you’re pregnant because developing babies are more sensitive to radiation.

If your child is in the hospital, sometimes a portable X-ray machine can be brought to the bedside.

You can help your child prepare by explaining the test in simple terms. Say that it’s important to hold still to get the best images.

What Does the Doctor Need to Know Before the X-Ray?

Before an abdominal X-ray, tell the technician or doctor if your child recently:

• had an X-ray exam using barium contrast material (like for a barium enema or an upper GI study)
• took medicine to help with diarrhea or an upset stomach, and it had bismuth subsalicylate in it (check the medicine's "drug facts" label to see)

These substances can affect how well the images turn out.

What Happens During an Abdominal X-Ray?

Abdominal X-rays take just a few minutes. They may be done while your child lies on the table or stands. After getting your child into the right position, an X-ray technician goes into the next room to take the images. Kids should stay still for 2–3 seconds while each X-ray is taken so the pictures are clear. If an image is blurred, the technician might take another one. Older kids may be asked to hold their breath for a few seconds to help keep them from moving.

An X-ray technician takes one or two pictures of the abdomen to get a view of the area from different angles. If your child has an injury and can't stay in the right position, the technician can help find a position that feels better.

What Happens After an Abdominal X-Ray?

A radiologist (a doctor trained in reading and understanding X-rays) will look at the images and help figure out what the results mean. This person will send a report to your doctor, who will explain what the X-rays show.

X-rays can be read quickly, especially in an emergency. The doctor seeing your child can sometimes look at the X-ray before getting the official read from the radiologist. But in most cases, results can't be given directly to the patient or family at the time of the test.

What Else Should I Know?

In general, abdominal X-rays are very safe. There can be some risk to the body with radiation, but the amount in abdominal X-rays is so small that it’s not thought to be dangerous. X-ray technicians use the least radiation needed to get the best images.

Based on the results of the abdominal X-ray, your child may need a follow-up appointment with the doctor or get more X-rays or other imaging tests.

If you have questions about the abdominal X-ray or what the results mean, speak with your doctor. You can also talk to the X-ray technician before the test.