Will a chest xray show a breast lump?

Answer 1

The chest x-ray (CXR) will only capture what is in front of the plate. Having said that, you must understand the reason for doing a CXR. If the reason is as it usually is, to capture the views of the lungs and heart, then the the 11th and 12th ribs do not matter much as the lungs do not really go down that far. Also, you will recall when you did the CXR that the technician asked you to inhale deeply and then hold your breath. This acts to raise your ribs so that the lower ribs are caught on the film. If on the other hand, the CXR was to look for rib fractures, then the 11th and 12th would not be visualised very well. However, CXRs are not the best way to look for fractures, a CT scan of the chest would be more helpful, and would definitely provide a more accurate diagnosis. Hope that helps. Aj :)