Abdominal Film (X-Ray): Purpose, Procedure & Results - Healthline

Maybe your like

HealthlineSubscribe

Parenthood

Abdominal Film (X-Ray)

Medically reviewed by Stacy Sampson, D.O. — Written by Gretchen Holm — Updated on July 19, 2021

Purpose
Preparation
Procedure
Results
Risks
Takeaway

An abdominal plain film, also known as an abdominal X-ray, helps your doctor assess potential problems in your abdominal cavity, stomach, and intestines. Your doctor may perform this procedure to help detect a particular condition like kidney stones or gallstones.

Instead of generally imaging the entire abdominal area, your doctor may order a KUB X-ray, which is a variation of an abdominal film that focuses on the kidneys, ureters, and bladder. The procedure gets its name from the first letter of each of these body parts.

In this article, we’ll look closer at abdominal X-rays and discuss why they’re used, how they’re interpreted, possible risks, and more.

Why are abdominal films ordered?

Your doctor might order an abdominal X-ray if you’re having one or more of the following symptoms:

significant nausea
ongoing vomiting
abdominal pain
flank or back pain
abdominal swelling

Some of the following conditions may also be diagnosed with an abdominal X-ray:

an abdominal aortic aneurysm
Addison’s disease
anemia (idiopathic aplastic or secondary aplastic)
pancreatitis
appendicitis
ascariasis
atheroembolic renal disease
blind loop syndrome
Echinococcus infection
Hirschsprung’s disease
intestinal pseudo-obstruction (primary or idiopathic)
intussusception (in children)
necrotizing enterocolitis
nephrocalcinosis
toxic megacolon
a ureter injury
Wilms’ tumor
GI perforation

An abdominal film may also help your doctor locate the precise position of an object you’ve swallowed.

Alternatively, your doctor might use this test to make sure that a tube, like a suction or feeding catheter, is in the correct location. These are often placed to allow for drainage or the administration of fluids or gases.

Preparing for an abdominal film

Unless your doctor informs you otherwise, you won’t need to fast, change your diet, or do anything major to prepare for an abdominal film.

Tell your doctor if you’re pregnant. Abdominal films involve low levels of radiation and are typically not recommended for pregnant people. If you’re pregnant, your doctor will probably choose to do an ultrasound to avoid any risk to the fetus.

Tell your doctor about any medications you’re taking, especially if you’ve taken Pepto-Bismol or another medication containing bismuth in the 4 days before the abdominal film. Bismuth can affect the clarity of the images, so your doctor needs to know if you’ve taken it.

Inform your doctor if you’ve recently had an X-ray test that involved barium contrast material. Similar to the effect caused by bismuth in Pepto-Bismol, barium can prevent a clear picture in your abdominal film.

Abdominal film procedure

When you arrive at the office for your abdominal X-ray, you’ll need to remove any jewelry. You may also need to change into a hospital gown.

You’ll likely need to lie down on your back on a table. In some cases, you may need to lie on your side or even stand up instead. Depending on what your doctor is looking for, you might need to have X-rays taken from several angles, and you might be asked to change positions.

You must remain perfectly still during the X-ray. You may even need to hold your breath at certain points to ensure that your abdomen doesn’t move.

Interpreting the results of your abdominal film

An abdominal film can reveal various issues in the abdomen. These include:

a mass
fluid buildup
an injury
a blockage
a foreign object
certain types of stones in the gallbladder, bladder, kidneys, or ureters

The film also allows your doctor to identify whether certain organs are enlarged or out of their proper position.

Remember that an abdominal film only lets your doctor see what’s going on in your abdomen. It doesn’t detect all possible problems or give definitive answers to all of your questions.

Your doctor will discuss the implications of any issues detected in the abdominal film. Some findings may require further tests.

Possible risks of an abdominal film

An abdominal film is a low-risk procedure. You’ll be exposed to low levels of radiation, as radiation is required to take X-rays.

Depending on the reason for the abdominal film, you may feel pain or discomfort from lying on your back or side for the procedure.

Takeaway

An abdominal film is an X-ray of the abdomen. There are many reasons why a doctor may take an abdominal film, including to look at organs, find infections, diagnose pain, and look for growths.

An abdominal film doesn’t require much preparation and is typically easy and painless for most people. You’ll be exposed to a very low level of radiation, but an abdominal film is considered to be a low-risk procedure.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Abdominal radiograph. (2013).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3913410/
Abdominal x-ray. (2021).https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003815.htm
X-ray (radiography) – Abdomen. (2019).http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=abdominrad

Share this article

Medically reviewed by Stacy Sampson, D.O. — Written by Gretchen Holm — Updated on July 19, 2021

Abdominal Film (X-Ray): Purpose, Procedure & Results - Healthline

Health Conditions

Condition Spotlight

Wellness Topics

Product Reviews

Featured Programs

Featured

Lessons

Newsletters

Lifestyle Quizzes

Health News

This Just In

Top Reads

Video Series

Find Your Bezzy Community

Follow us on social media

Parenthood

Why are abdominal films ordered?

Preparing for an abdominal film

Abdominal film procedure

Interpreting the results of your abdominal film

Possible risks of an abdominal film

Takeaway

How we reviewed this article:

Read this next

Abdominal X-ray | Johns Hopkins Medicine

Abdominal X-ray

X-Ray Exam: Abdomen (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth

Abdominal X-ray Information | Mount Sinai - New York

Abdominal X-ray - UCSF Health

Abdominal X-ray - Health Encyclopedia

Abdominal X-Ray | HealthLink BC

Abdominal X-Ray - MyHealth Alberta

What Can An Abdominal X-Ray Diagnose? | HealthEngine Blog

X-Ray Exam: Abdomen - Connecticut Children's

X-Ray Exams Of The Digestive Tract For Crohn's Disease - WebMD

Abdominal X-ray - System And Anatomy - Soft Tissues

X-Ray: What It Is, Types, Preparation And Risks - Cleveland Clinic

Contact