Chest X-ray

A chest X-ray is a picture of your chest taken with X-rays. It shows the lungs, the heart, the lung roots, the ribs and the diaphragm. It is the most common imaging test in medicine: fast, easy to get and with a small radiation dose. Doctors order it for cough and fever, before surgery, for medical certificates and to check that pneumonia has cleared. At Oberig Clinic the image is taken in the X-ray room of the Diagnostic Department, and radiologists write the report.

What a chest X-ray shows

The radiologist checks how clear the lung fields are, the vessel markings, the roots, the pleural angles, the dome of the diaphragm, the outline of the heart and aorta and the chest bones. Air-filled lung lets X-rays through and looks dark. Dense tissue, fluid, a tumor or inflammation blocks them and shows up light.

An X-ray detects pneumonia, pleural effusion (fluid around the lung), a collapsed lung, signs of chronic bronchitis, nodules and masses from 5-10 mm, an enlarged heart, fluid congestion and rib fractures. Emphysema shows up as extra-dark lung fields with a low, flattened diaphragm. Small nodules, early cancer and changes hidden behind the heart may not show on a plain film. Then your doctor orders CT.

Radiologists name lung segments to say exactly where a finding sits. The right lung has 10 segments, the left usually 8-10. A note like "infiltrate in right S6" means the top segment of the lower lobe of the right lung. Pulmonologists and surgeons then know where to look on CT or during bronchoscopy.

How fluorography differs from an X-ray

Both use X-rays. The difference is detail. Classic fluorography photographs the image from a screen at a reduced size. It was invented for fast mass screening. Detail is poorer, and old film units gave a higher dose. Digital units cut the dose, but the image is still less sharp than a proper X-ray.

Fluorography shows the big things: inflammation, large nodules, fluid, an enlarged heart. So are the two the same? No. A chest X-ray is a full diagnostic image, and the radiologist can see finer details. For medical certificates and routine checkups, a chest X-ray with a report replaces fluorography. Check what your employer or medical board accepts before you go. Oberig Clinic does not offer fluorography as a separate service. We do a chest X-ray instead.

	Fluorography	Chest X-ray
Purpose	mass screening	diagnosis and screening
Detail	lower	higher, smaller changes visible
Dose	film higher, digital low	low
When chosen	screening without symptoms	cough, fever, pain, follow-up after treatment

When you need a chest X-ray

Doctors send you for an X-ray when a cough lasts over 2-3 weeks, a fever does not go away, or you get breathlessness, chest pain on breathing, blood in your sputum or weakness for no clear reason. It is also done after a chest injury, before surgery and anesthesia, when pneumonia is suspected and a few weeks after it to confirm the lung has healed.

Do not delay the X-ray if your fever lasts more than 3-5 days after a cold or comes back, your cough turns wet and you feel weak. This is how pneumonia often starts, especially in older people. The same goes for coughing up streaks of blood and unexplained weight loss. Get the X-ray without delay. Your doctor will then decide if you need CT.

Prevention matters too. Smokers, people with chronic bronchitis and those who work with dust or chemicals should check their lungs every year. Already have symptoms? Start with a pulmonologist or a general practitioner (therapist). The doctor will listen to your lungs, weigh the risks and decide what is enough: an X-ray, spirometry or CT.

What happens during the X-ray

No preparation needed for either test. You can eat. No need to come fasting. Before the image you undress to the waist and take off chains, pendants and any bra with metal hooks. Tie up long hair so it does not cast a shadow. Remove chest piercings in advance. Metal shows up as a bright spot and can hide a small change.

You stand with your chest against the detector, hands on your hips, shoulders forward. The radiographer asks you to take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds. The frontal view is taken from the front. For the side view you stand sideways with your arms raised. Two views give a 3D sense and show changes behind the heart and above the diaphragm. The whole thing takes 5-10 minutes. Patients who cannot stand get the X-ray lying down in intensive care. Fluorography works almost the same way, but it is always one frontal image.

Pregnant women get an X-ray only for strict reasons, with a lead shield over the belly. Children need a doctor's referral. The dose from a chest X-ray is small, about what you get from natural background radiation in a few days.

Some rough numbers for comparison. A single-view chest X-ray gives hundredths of a millisievert. Old film fluorography gave several times more. A chest CT is several millisieverts, which is why doctors order it when a plain X-ray is not enough, not instead of one.

A normal chest X-ray

A normal report is short: "Lung fields are clear, no focal or infiltrative changes, lung roots are structured, pleural angles are free, the heart is not enlarged." This is what a healthy person's chest X-ray looks like on paper. Wording can vary. Your doctor reads the image together with your symptoms.

Increased lung markings or fibrosis are common in smokers and after bronchitis. They do not always mean disease. A calcified granuloma is a chalky trace of an old infection and usually means nothing. A shadow, a nodule or an infiltrate is a reason to see a pulmonologist and sometimes to have CT.

The radiologist also looks at the heart. On a frontal view its width is normally under half the width of the chest. This is the cardiothoracic ratio. A higher ratio may point to an enlarged heart, and then you need an ECG and an echocardiogram. The lung roots are made of vessels and airways. When they look wide or blurred, the doctor looks for enlarged lymph nodes or fluid congestion.

Pneumonia on X-ray

Pneumonia is the most common reason for a chest X-ray. It looks like a white patch (an infiltrate) within a segment or lobe, sometimes with fluid in the pleural angle. The doctor sees which part of the lung is affected and how large the patch is.

Sometimes the X-ray is still clear in the first days, while the doctor already hears crackles. Then the doctor goes by the exam and blood tests and repeats the image later. After treatment a follow-up X-ray is usually done in 4-6 weeks, because changes on the image fade more slowly than the fever does and an early repeat can look worse than you actually feel. If the shadow stays, you need CT so a tumor behind the inflammation is not missed.

Tuberculosis, pulmonary edema and other findings

Tuberculosis usually shows up as nodules or an infiltrate in the upper lobes, sometimes with a cavity. But the image only gives a hint. The diagnosis is confirmed by sputum tests, PCR and a TB specialist. CT is often needed to clarify.

Pulmonary edema looks like a symmetrical haze spreading from the lung roots in a butterfly shape. The heart is often enlarged, with fluid in the pleural angles. This is an emergency in heart failure. Sudden severe breathlessness, crackling breath, a feeling that you cannot get enough air: call 3003. The clinic's emergency service works 24/7.

If the image shows an unclear shadow or the lungs need a closer look, the next step is a chest CT. It shows nodules from 2-3 mm and changes that hide behind the heart or ribs on an X-ray.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a fluorography result valid?

For medical boards and routine checkups, usually one year. A chest X-ray report is accepted for the same period. Some jobs have stricter rules. Check with your employer.

How often can I have an X-ray?

As often as your doctor needs it. One image gives a tiny dose. The benefit of catching pneumonia far outweighs the risk. For prevention, once a year is enough.

Does an X-ray show COVID pneumonia?

Marked changes, yes. Early ground-glass changes are often missed. CT is more accurate here.

Can I get an X-ray without a referral?

Adults can, for a routine checkup. If you have symptoms, see a doctor first. They will tell you how many views you need and whether to go straight to CT.

Do smokers need a yearly X-ray?

Long-term smokers should check their lungs every year. A plain X-ray shows bronchitis, emphysema and large masses. For early lung cancer detection in heavy smokers, the doctor may suggest low-dose CT. It picks up nodules of a few millimeters.

When will I get the report?

A radiologist writes it. The Diagnostic Department issues reports within 24 hours, except weekends and public holidays. You can get the images on a disc or USB drive.

One view or two?

One is enough for a checkup. With symptoms or a suspected pneumonia or tumor, doctors usually ask for two.

Chest X-ray price

At Oberig Clinic the price depends on the number of views. We cannot quote a fluorography price, because the clinic does not do it. A single-view chest X-ray replaces it and costs UAH 1,295.

Test	Price
Chest X-ray, one view	UAH 1,295
Chest X-ray, two views	UAH 1,605
Chest X-ray, one view, in intensive care	UAH 2,095
Chest CT	UAH 2,860
Pulmonologist consultation (PhD, associate professor)	UAH 1,975

Prices are from the clinic price list as of 02.10.2026 and may change. Please check the current cost with our contact center.

Why choose Oberig Clinic for a chest X-ray

• Diagnostic Department specialists read the images: Taras Matsiievskyi, head of the department, Iryna Mykytenko, deputy head, top category, and Oleksandr Lysenko, top category.
• American College of Radiology protocols, reports within 24 hours, second opinions on images from other hospitals.
• If the X-ray raises questions, the same clinic does CT (three scanners with 128, 64 and 20 slices), spirometry and bronchoscopy.
• Pulmonologist Anton Sadomov, PhD, associate professor and top-category doctor, will go through your result and plan treatment right away.

Address: Kyiv, 3 Zoolohichna St., buildings G and V. Book online at https://my.oberig.ua/ua/appointment/ or call +38 044 521 30 03.