Digital X-Ray

X-ray is one of the oldest forms of radiology testing. It is a fast and painless test, which many physicians use to examine lungs and bones. Some doctors may also recommend x-rays of the skull, sinuses, and abdomen.

A beam of digital x-rays can be produced by bombarding a tungsten target with a stream of electrons inside an x-ray tube. The digital x-ray beam penetrates through the body, exposing a sheet of photographic film to the differing absorption portions of the beam by tissues of varying density within the body. For example, the lungs are easily seen because they contain air, allowing most of the x-ray beam to pass through, and appear dark on the film. Bones are clearly seen for the opposite reason – they absorb most of the x-rays that strike them and appear white on x-ray films.

Digital X-rays are commonly used to:

• Determine if a bone is broken, fractured, chipped, or dislocated
• Locate foreign objects (such as metal in eyes)
• Detect scoliosis and other spinal defects
• Diagnose the cause of chest pain or a persistent cough

NSI accepts walk-in x-rays at all of our three facilities—Orlando, Melbourne, and Merritt Island —however, to avoid a wait time, we recommend that you contact our scheduling staff to make an appointment. Additionally, we ask that you remove any jewelry or metal objects from the area being imaged, as these items may affect the quality of the images produced.