Abdominal X-Ray

An abdominal X-ray is done to:

• Look for a cause of pain or swelling in the belly or ongoing nausea and vomiting.
• Find a cause of pain in the lower back on either side of the spine (flank pain). An abdominal X-ray can show the size, shape, and position of the liver, spleen, and kidneys.
• Look for stones in the Reference gallbladder Opens New Window, Reference kidneys Opens New Window, Reference ureters Opens New Window, or Reference bladder Opens New Window.
• Look for air outside of the bowel (intestines).
• Find an object that has been swallowed or put into a body cavity.
• Confirm the proper position of tubes used by your doctor in your treatment, such as a tube to drain the stomach (nasogastric tube), a feeding tube in the stomach, a tube to drain the kidney (nephrostomy tube), a catheter used for dialysis, a shunt to drain fluid from the brain into the stomach (V-P shunt), or other drainage tubes or catheters.

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