Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
How you prepare
By Mayo Clinic staff
Different types of X-rays require different preparations. Ask your doctor or nurse to provide you with specific instructions.
What to wear
In general, you undress whatever part of your body needs examination. You may wear a gown to cover yourself during the exam, depending on which area is being X-rayed. You may also be asked to remove jewelry, eyeglasses and any metal objects that may obscure the X-ray image, because these objects can show up on an X-ray.
Contrast material
Before some types of X-rays you're given a liquid called contrast medium. Contrast mediums, such as barium and iodine, help outline a specific area of your body on the X-ray image. You may swallow the contrast medium, or receive it as an injection or an enema.
- Introduction: X-ray. In: Mettler FA. Essentials of Radiology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/165146367-3/903135188/1276/6.html#4-u1.0-B0-7216-0527-3..50004-4--cesec2_7. Accessed Jan. 3, 2012.
- Contrast materials. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/safety/index.cfm?pg=sfty_contrast. Accessed Jan. 12, 2012.
- Radiation exposure in X-ray and CT examinations. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/safety/index.cfm?pg=sfty_xray#. Accessed Jan. 3, 2012.
- Bone X-ray (radiography). Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=bonerad. Accessed Jan. 3, 2012.
- Chest X-ray (chest radiography). Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=chestrad. Accessed Jan. 3, 2012.
- Wahl RL. Imaging. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/165146367-5/903277817/1709/26.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06694-8..50025-7--cesec17_487. Accessed Jan. 4, 2012.
- Rust G, et al. Pulmonary medicine. In: Rakel RE. Textbook of Family Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191205553-4/0/1481/0.html#. Accessed Jan. 4, 2012.
- Mammography. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=mammo. Accessed Jan. 4, 2012.
- Keeping kids still during exams. American Society of Radiologic Technologists. https://www.asrt.org/content/ThePublic/AboutRadiologicProcedures/KeepingKidsStillDuringExams.aspx. Accessed Jan. 4, 2012.
Find Mayo Clinic on