Pneumonia chest x ray

Pneumonia as seen on chest x-ray. A: Normal chest x-ray. B: Abnormal chest x-ray with shadowing from pneumonia in the right lung (white area, left side of image).

An important test for pneumonia in unclear situations is a chest x-ray. Chest x-rays can reveal areas of opacity (seen as white) which represent consolidation. Pneumonia is not always seen on x-rays, either because the disease is only in its initial stages, or because it involves a part of the lung not easily seen by x-ray.

In some cases, chest CT (computed tomography) can reveal pneumonia that is not seen on chest x-ray.

X-rays can be misleading, because other problems, like lung scarring and congestive heart failure, can mimic pneumonia on x-ray. Chest x-rays are also used to evaluate for complications of pneumonia. (See below.)

If a person is not getting better with antibiotics, or if the health care provider has concerns about the diagnosis, a cultureof the person's sputum may be requested.

References