Just scheduled a comprehensive physical exam at Dr. Douglas Hilbert’s Concierge Medicine practice in San Antonio, TX? It’s important to know that our physicals aren’t like those you’ve experienced in the past. We focus on a proactive approach to health and wellness, so we delve deeper. By looking for signs of serious health problems, we can help you take control and prevent a health crisis.
A chest X-ray is a valuable diagnostic tool that provides insight into your lungs, heart, and surrounding structures, whether you’re healthy or unwell.
What a Chest X-Ray Can Reveal
A chest X-ray provides a detailed look at your chest. It’s a large area, so this X-ray shows the lungs, heart, blood vessels, airways, and skeletal structures of the chest and spine. This quick, painless test can reveal:
- Infections: Chest X-rays can detect infections like pneumonia within the lungs. They can also identify other lung changes that happen with chronic lower respiratory diseases.
- Heart Size and Shape: If your heart appears larger than normal, it could be a sign of heart failure or fluid buildup around the organ.
- Bone and Rib Abnormalities: Detects fractures or deformities in the ribcage and spine.
- Diaphragm Issues: Helps assess problems with the diaphragm, such as flattened diaphragm, which can affect breathing and may be a sign of a condition like chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD.)
- Fluid Buildup: Identifies pleural effusion, where fluid collects around the lungs, or fluid trapped inside the lungs (pulmonary edema.)
By including a chest X-ray as part of your routine physical exam, we can catch potential concerns before they become more serious.
Why Are Chest X-Rays Important?
Chest X-rays provide a quick and non-invasive way to evaluate your respiratory and cardiovascular systems. We include them in our comprehensive physical exams as part of our dedication to preventive and proactive health care.
Chest X-rays are also important in diagnosing symptoms like breathing difficulties, chronic cough, and unexplained chest pain; this test can help determine the cause. Further, we can use chest X-rays as part of a post-surgery monitoring plan.
Chest X-Ray in San Antonio, TX
Dr. Douglas Hilbert’s Concierge Medicine offers chest X-rays as part of our personalized care in San Antonio, TX. Call us at 210-614-4000 to schedule your appointment today.
