Why It Is Done 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. |By:||Reference Healthwise Staff||Last Revised:
Reference December 21, 2010|