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How to Read a Chest X Ray
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Normal chest x-ray. A=Airway; B=Bone, C=Cardiac silhouette, D=Diaphragm,

E=Edge of the heart, F=Field of lung, G=Gastric bubble, H=Hilum of lung.
You have probably seen a chest x-ray (chest radiograph), or might even have had
one taken. Have you ever wondered how to read a chest x-ray? Here is a quick and
easy approach by following these simple steps and using the mnemonic
'ABCDEFGHI'.
When looking at a radiograph, remember that it is a 2-dimensional representation of
a 3-dimensional object. Height and width are maintained, but depth is lost. The left
side of the film represents the right side of the individual, and vice versa. Air
appears black, fat appears gray, soft tissues and water appear as lighter shades of
gray, and bone and metal appear white. The denser the tissue, the whiter it will
appear on x-ray. Denser tissues appear radiopaque, bright on the film; less dense
tissues appear radiolucent, dark on the film.
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Edit Steps
1
Check the patient's name. Above all else, make sure you are looking at the correct
chest x-ray first.

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2
Read the date of the chest radiograph. Make special note of the date when
comparing older radiographs (always look at older radiographs if available). The
date the radiograph is taken provides important context for interpreting any
findings. For example, a mass that has become bigger over 3 months is more
significant than one that has become bigger over 3 years.
3
Note the type of film (while this article assumes you are looking at a chest x-ray,
practice noting if it is a plain film, CT, angiogram, MRI, etc.) For chest x-ray, there
are several views as follows:
The standard view of the chest is the posteroanterior radiograph, or "PA chest."
Posteroanterior refers to the direction of the x-ray traversing the patient from
posterior to anterior. This film is taken with the patient upright, in full inspiration
(breathed in all the way), and the x-ray beam radiating horizontally 6 feet away
from the film.
The anteroposterior (AP) chest radiograph is obtained with the x-ray traversing the
patient from anterior to posterior, usually obtained with a portable x-ray machine
from very sick patients, those unable to stand, and infants. Because portable x-ray
units tend to be less powerful than regular units, AP radiographs are generally taken
at shorter distance from the film compared to PA radiographs. The farther away the
x-ray source is from the film, the sharper and less magnified the image. (You can
confirm this by placing your hand about 3 inches from a desk, shining a lamp above
it from various distances, and observing the shadow cast. The shadow will appear
sharper and less magnified if the lamp is farther away.) Since AP radigraphs are
taken from shorter distances, they appear more magnified and less sharp compared
to standard PA films.

Lateral chest x-ray.

The lateral chest radiograph is taken with the patient's left side of chest held
against the x-ray cassette (left instead of right to make the heart appear sharper
and less magnified, since the heart is closer to the left side). It is taken with the
beam at 6 feet away, as in the PA view.
An oblique view is a rotated view in between the standard front view and the lateral
view. It is useful in localizing lesions and eliminating superimposed structures.

Right lateral decubitus chest x-ray showing pleural effusion. The A arrow indicates
"fluid layering" in the right chest. The B arrow indicates the width of the right lung.
The volume of useful lung is reduced because of the collection of fluid around the
lung.
A lateral decubitus view is one taken with the patient lying down on the side. It
helps to determine whether suspected fluid (pleural effusion) will layer out to the
bottom, or suspected air (pneumothorax) will rise to the top. For example, if pleural
fluid is suspected in the left lung, check a left lateral decubitus view (to allow the
fluid to layer to the left side). If air is suspected in left lung, check a right lateral
decubitus view (to allow the air to rise to the left side).
4

Look for markers: 'L' for Left, 'R' for Right, 'PA' for posteroanterior, 'AP' for
anteroposterior, etc. Note the position of the patient: supine (lying flat), upright,
lateral, decubitus.
5
Note the technical quality of film.
Exposure: Overexposed films look darker than normal, making fine details harder to
see; underexposed films look whiter than normal, and cause appearance of areas of
opacification. Look for intervertebral bodies in a properly penetrated chest x-ray. An
under-penetrated chest x-ray cannot differentiate the vertebral bodies from the
intervertebral spaces, while an over-penetrated film shows the intervertebral spaces
very distinctly.
To assess exposure, look at the vertebral column behind the heart on the frontal
view. If detailed spine and pulmonary vessels are seen behind the heart, the
exposure is correct. If only the spine is visible, but not the pulmonary vessels, the
film is too dark (overexposed). If the spine is not visible, the film is too white
(underexposed).
Motion: Motion appears as blurred areas. It is hard to find a subtle pneumothorax if
there is significant motion.
Rotation: Rotation means that the patient was not positioned flat on the x-ray film,
with one plane of the chest rotated compared to the plane of the film. It causes
distortion because it can make the lungs look asymmetrical and the cardiac
silhouette disoriented. Look for the right and left lung fields having nearly the same
diameter, and the heads of the ribs (end of the calcified section of each rib) at the
same location to the chest wall, which indicate absence of significant rotation. If
there is significant rotation, the side that has been lifted appears narrower and
denser (whiter) and the cardiac silhouette appears more in the opposite lung field.
6

Left tension pneumothorax. Note the large, well-demarcated area devoid of lung
markings, and deviation of the trachea (airway) and the heart away from the
affected side. The bright metallic spots are snaps for EKG readings.

Airway: Check to see if the airway is patent and midline. For example, in a tension
pneumothorax, the airway is deviated away from the affected side. Look for the
carina, where the trachea bifurcates (divides) into the right and left main stem
bronchi.
7

Fracture of the left clavicle.

Bones: Check the bones for any fractures, lesions, or defects. Note the overall size,
shape, and contour of each bone, density or mineralization (osteopenic bones look
thin and less opaque), cortical thickness in comparison to medullary cavity,
trabecular pattern, presence of any erosions, fractures, lytic or blastic areas. Look
for lucent and sclerotic lesions. A lucent bone lesion is an area of bone with a
decreased density (appearing darker); it may appear punched out compared to
surrounding bone. A sclerotic bone lesion is an area of bone with an increased
density (appearing whiter). At joints, look for joint spaces narrowing, widening,
calcification in the cartilages, air in the joint space, abnormal fat pads, etc.
8

Enlarged cardiac silhouette in a case of aortic dissection (blood fills the

mediastinum). Note that the cardiac silhouette takes up more than half of the chest
width. Characteristic of aortic dissection here is the enlarged mediastinum (labeled
1) and aortic arched (labeled 2).
Cardiac silhouette: Look at the size of the cardiac silhouette (white space
representing the heart, situated between the lungs). A normal cardiac silhouette
occupies less than half the chest width.

Look for water-bottle-shaped heart on PA plain film, suggestive of pericardial

effusion. Get an ultrasound or chest Computed Tomagraphy (CT) to confirm.
9

Left pleural effusion associated with left lower lobe pneumonia: note that the
costophrenic angle is blunted, and the left diaphragm is raised compared to the
right.
Diaphragms: Look for a flat or raised diaphragm. A flattened diaphragm may
indicate emphysema. A raised diaphragm may indicate area of airspace
consolidation (as in pneumonia) making the lower lung field indistinguishable in
tissue density compared to the abdomen. The right diaphragm is normally higher
than the left, due to the presence of the liver below the right diaphragm. Also look
at the costophrenic angle (which should be sharp) for any blunting, which may
indicate effusion (as fluid settles down). It takes about 300-500 ml of fluid to blunt
the costophrenic angle.
10

A) Normal chest radiograph; B) Q fever pneumonia affecting the lower and middle
lobes of the right lung. Note the loss of the normal radiographic silhouette (contour)
between the affected lung and its right heart border as well as between the affected
lung and its right diaphragm border. This phenomenon is called the silhouette sign.
Edges of heart; External soft tissues: Check the edges of the heart for the silhouette
sign: a radioopacity obscuring the heart's border, in right middle lobe and left
lingula pneumonia, for example. Also, look at the external soft tissues for any
abnormalities. Note the lymph nodes, look for subcutaneous emphysema (air
density below the skin), and other lesions.
11

Right lower lobe pneumonia. Note the prominent air-bronchogram sign: air
visualized in the peripheral intrapulmonary bronchi, due to an infiltrate or
consolidation surrounding the bronchi.
Fields of the lungs: Look for symmetry, vascularity, presence of any mass, nodules,
infiltration, fluid, bronchial cuffing, etc. If fluid, blood, mucous, or tumor, etc. fills the
air sacs, the lungs will appear radiodense (bright), with less visible interstitial
markings.
12
Gastric bubble: Look for the presence of a gastric bubble, just below the heart; note
whether it is obscured or absent. Assess the amount of gas and location of the
gastric bubble. Normal gas bubbles may also be seen in the hepatic and splenic
flexures of the colon.
13

Enlarged lymph node in left hilum, in a case of carcinoid tumor.

Hila: Look for nodes and masses in the hila of both lungs. On the frontal view, most
of the hilar shadows represent the left and right pulmonary arteries. The left
pulmonary artery is always more superior than the right, making the left hilum
higher. Look for calcified lymph nodes in the hilar, which may be caused by an old
tuberculosis infection.
14

Breast implants.
Instrumentations: Look for any tubes, IV lines, EKG leads, surgical drains, prosthesis,
etc.
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Edit Tips
Follow a systematic approach to read a chest x-ray to make sure that you do not
miss anything.
A good rule of thumb for reading chest x-rays is to go from general observations to
specific details.
Always compare with old x-rays whenever available. They will help you detect new
disease and evaluate for changes.
Practice makes perfect. Study and read a lot of chest x-rays to become proficient
therein.
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Edit Related wikiHows
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How to Determine If You Have Mesothelioma
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Edit Sources and Citations
Chest X-ray Atlas
USUHS: Basic Chest X-Ray Review
eMedicine Radiology: Chest articles

Database of chest radiology related to emergency medicine

Introduction to chest radiology: a tutorial for learning to read a chest x-ray
Chest Radiology Tutorials Free Web Tutorials for Chest Anatomy and Lung
Malignancies in Radiology
Chest Bones Anatomy
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Last edited:
August 18, 2011 by Tiagoroth
Categories:
Featured Articles | Respiratory Health
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