Also called: Radiography
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About X-Rays
X-rays are a painless medical imaging test. They send a small amount of radiation through your body to create pictures of bones and organs.
X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation. They create images in shades of black, white, and gray because different tissues absorb radiation differently. Bones absorb the most radiation and appear white. Fat and other soft tissues absorb less and appear gray. Air absorbs the least radiation, so areas like the lungs appear black.
The image is recorded on film or sent to a computer. Health care providers use x-rays to find health problems and to check how well certain treatments are working.
X-rays are commonly used to check for fractures (broken bones). They are also used for other purposes. For example, chest x-rays can detect pneumonia. Mammograms use x-rays to look for breast cancer. X-rays are also used as part of other imaging tests, such as CT scans.
In most cases, little or no preparation is needed. You may be asked to wear a lead apron to protect certain parts of your body. You may also be asked to remove jewelry or other items that could affect the image.
The amount of radiation from an x-ray is small. For example, the radiation from a chest x-ray is about the same as the natural radiation you are exposed to from the environment over about 10 days.
Always tell your provider if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant.
Depending on the part of your body being examined, you may be asked to stand, sit, or lie down. You will need to stay still for a short time while the image is taken.
After an x-ray, you can return to normal activities right away. A specialist called a radiologist reviews the images and shares the results with your provider.
It sits within Diagnostic Tests.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on X-Rays
1,124 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Screening With Portable X-rays for Rapid Recognition of TBColumbia University
- ER-VISION-AI StudyEwha Womans University Mokdong Hospital
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of 3D Airway Reconstruction for Precise Double-Lumen Bronchial IntubationPeking Union Medical College Hospital
- IORT-Breast at Medical Center Navicent HealthWake Forest University Health Sciences
- Large Language Model-Assisted cTNM Annotation From Chinese PSMA PET/CT ReportsFirst Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University
- PRO-BOOST-LC: Whole-Gland Boost Strategies Versus SBRT Monotherapy in PSMA-Staged Localized and Locally Advanced Prostate CancerAffidea Nu-med Center of Oncological DIagnostics and Therapy
Research already completed
- AI-Based Screening and Diagnostic Models for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome (FAIS-AI)ChunBao Li
- Endoscopy and Radiology-guided Ablation for Inoperable CholangiocarcinomaClinical Hospital Colentina
- Immunomonitoring of Interventional Radiology Procedures in the Management of Hepatocellular CarcinomaUniversity Hospital, Grenoble
- Evaluation of Mandibular Bone Microstructure Changes After Periodontal Treatment (M-BONE Study)Akdeniz University
- Validation of AI-Based Detection of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Serial Chest Radiographs: A Retrospective Longitudinal StudyChung-Ang University Hospital
- Feasibility of Upskilling Non-Radiology Personnel in X-rayBrigham and Women's Hospital
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Medical X-Ray ImagingFood and Drug Administration
- X-RayMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Related Issues
- All About Your Radiology Report: What to KnowRadiological Society of North America
- Do X-rays and Gamma Rays Cause Cancer?American Cancer Society
- Electronic Medical Devices, X-Ray Imaging and Radiation Therapy: What to Know and How to Prevent DamageFood and Drug Administration
- Patient Safety -- Contrast MaterialRadiological Society of North America
- Radiation and Medical X-RaysEnvironmental Protection Agency
- Radiation Dose from X-Ray and CT ExamsRadiological Society of North America
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: X RaysNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under X-Rays. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for X-Rays, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.