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X - Ray Sternum LATeral View

For men & women

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An X-ray of the sternum is a safe and painless test to visualise the sternum (known as breastbone) along with the surrounding soft tissues like skin and muscles. The sternum is a bone located in the middle of the chest and it extends from the bottom of neck till the stomach. The sternum is attached to the first seven ribs and the collar bone. The image is recorded on a special X-ray film. The X-ray image is black and white. Dense structures such as the bones, appear white and softer body tissues, such as the skin and muscles appear darker. The actual exposure time to radiation is usually less than a second, although the overall test may take 15-20 minutes.

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FAQs related to X - Ray Sternum LATeral View

What are the drawbacks of a bone X-ray?

X-ray images give a very clear view of the bones. However, it does not provide a good visual image of the soft tissues like tendons, muscles or fat tissue under the skin. Even the bone microfractures or complicated spine injuries are not clearly visible on the X Ray images. Apart from this, it also exposes the patient to some amount of radiations but the benefit of the information gained from an X-ray image outweighs the risk of radiations.

Who interprets the X-ray results?

The interpretation of an X-Ray image is carried out by a radiologist who analyses or reads the X-ray image and prepares a report of the findings which is shared with the patient.

Content created by

Dr. Swati Gupta (Anand)

MBBS, MD Lab Medicine

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Last Updated

9th Jul 2023