X-Rays - MedlinePlus

An X-ray is a diagnostic test which uses invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones, and organs onto film.

X-rays use invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones, and organs on film. Standard X-rays are performed for many reasons, including diagnosing tumors or bone injuries.

X-rays are made by using external radiation to produce images of the body, its organs, and other internal structures for diagnostic purposes. X-rays pass through body structures onto specially-treated plates (similar to camera film) and a "negative" type picture is made (the more solid a structure is, the whiter it appears on the film).

When the body undergoes X-rays, different parts of the body allow varying amounts of the X-ray beams to pass through. The soft tissues in the body (such as blood, skin, fat, and muscle) allow most of the X-ray to pass through and appear dark gray on the film. A bone or a tumor, which is more dense than the soft tissues, allows few of the X-rays to pass through and appears white on the X-ray. At a break in a bone, the X-ray beam passes through the broken area and appears as a dark line in the white bone.

Radiation during pregnancy may lead to birth defects. Always tell your radiologist or doctor if you suspect you may be pregnant.

Identification of M. tuberculosis in respiratory specimens by microbiological culture is the gold standard for establishing a diagnosis of pulmonary TB, but it usually takes 2 to 8 weeks to acquire positive results from mycobacterial culture.[9] However, in cases of miliary TB, the sensitivity of acid fast bacilli (AFB) staining is 20% to 40% and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is 60% to 80%, which is lower than that of pulmonary TB.[10] Therefore, CT imaging is crucial for the early diagnosis of miliary TB. However, miliary TB may occasionally be missed or misinterpreted on chest CT, and the diagnosis and treatment can therefore be delayed, which may contribute to increased disease severity and mortality.[11,12] The current study aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiological characteristics of radiologically missed miliary TB.