Neck x-ray

This test is done in a hospital radiology department. It may also be done in your health care provider's office by an x-ray technologist. You will lie on the x-ray table. You will be asked to change positions of your neck so that more images can be taken. Usually 2, or up to 7 different images may be needed.

Tell your provider if you are or think you may be pregnant. Also tell your provider if you have had surgery or have implants around your neck, jaw, or mouth. Remove all jewelry.

When the x-rays are taken, there is no discomfort. If the x-rays are done to check for injury, there may be discomfort as your neck is being positioned. Care will be taken to prevent further injury.

The x-ray is used to evaluate neck injuries and numbness, pain, or weakness that does not go away. A neck x-ray can also be used to help see if air passages are blocked by swelling in the neck or something stuck in the airway. Other tests, such as MRI , may be used to look for disk or nerve problems.

A neck x-ray can detect: Breathing in a foreign object Broken bone (fracture) Disk problems (disks are the cushion-like tissue that separate the vertebrae) Extra bone growths (bone spurs) on the neck bones (for example, due to osteoarthritis) Infection that causes swelling of the vocal cords (croup) Inflammation of…

There is low radiation exposure. X-rays are monitored so that the lowest amount of radiation is used to produce the image. Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of x-rays.

Newton K, Claudius I. Neck trauma. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice . 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 36. Sidell DR, Messner AH. Evaluation and management of the pediatric airway. In: Lesperance MM, eds. Cummings Pediatric Otolaryngology . 2nd ed.…