Abdomen or Abdominal X-Rays

What are Abdominal or Abdomen X-rays?

X-rays are used to identify, diagnose, and treat many types of medical conditions. It is a key element and often times the first to be done in the diagnosis process.

Many organs in your body can be seen during a quality X-ray of the abdomen or pelvis including:

Organs that help break down the food you eat and get rid of waste through bowel movements such as your stomach, gallbladder, intestines, liver, pancreas and spleen.

Organs that make or produce urine and allow you to urinate including your kidneys, urethra (urinary tract), bladder and ureters can also be seen with an abdominal or pelvic X-ray.

Reasons for an Abdominal or Pelvic X-Ray:

X-rays are used for a multitude of reasons. A physician may order an X-ray to check for certain cancers in different parts of the body by detecting abnormal tumors, growths or lumps.

An abdominal or pelvic X-ray is used to view the area of the body where a patient is experiencing pain, swelling, or other abnormalities that require an internal view of the organs. The X-ray can help a physician find a cause for the problems occurring.

X-rays can be used to diagnose a disease, monitor the progression of the disease, determine a treatment plan, and see the effect of a treatment plan.

Physicians use X-rays to locate foreign objects within the body and to guide them in setting broken bones.

An Abdominal or Abdomen X-Ray may help diagnose (find):

An abdominal or pelvic X-ray may diagnose the cause of digestive tract problems, abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting.

X-rays of the abdomen or pelvis can help physicians detect the location of a swallowed foreign object and help determine the best method of removal.

An abdominal or pelvic X-ray can help find kidney stones, bladder stones, and gallstones.

X-rays of the pelvis can diagnose arthritis that affects the hip as well as pelvic fractures.

Abdominal or Abdomen X-rays may be used to help properly place catheters and tubes used for feeding or to decompress organs such as the gallbladder and kidneys.

X-rays of the abdomen or pelvis are used to diagnose intestinal blockages, perforation of the stomach or intestine, or abdominal aortic aneurysms.

An abdominal or pelvic X-ray can show signs of stiffness of the spine or sacroiliac joint or tumors.