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Encyclopedia -> Test -> S -> Skull X-ray Alternate Names: X-ray - head; X-ray - skull; Skull radiography; Head X-ray How Performed: The test is performed in a hospital radiology department or in the health care provider’s office by an X-ray technician. You will be asked to lie on the X-ray table or sit in a chair. Your head may be placed in a number of positions. The pictures are taken from the back, front, and sides. How To Prepare: Inform the health care provider if you are pregnant. Remove all jewelry.
How It Feels: There is no discomfort from the X-ray. If there is a head injury, positioning of the head may be uncomfortable. Risks: There is low radiation exposure. X-rays are monitored and regulated to provide the minimum amount of radiation exposure needed to produce the image. Most experts feel that the risk is low compared with the benefits. Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of the X-ray. Why Performed: This test may be performed when there has been trauma and/or injury to the skull or when symptoms indicate a disorder involving structural abnormalities may be present inside the skull (such as tumors or bleeding). The X-ray is also used to evaluate an unusually shaped child’s head. Normal Values: The X-ray will show normal structures for the age of the patient. Abnormal Results: The skull X-ray may show fractures, tumors, brain tumors that contain calcium, erosion or decalcification of the bone, or shifts in the soft tissues inside the skull. The X-ray may detect increased intracranial pressure, and congenital (existing at birth) anomalies (unusual structure).
Cost: Special Considerations: A CT scan of the head is often preferable to a skull X-ray to evaluate head injuries.
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