What should you know about lordotic chest x ray?

For this view, you lean back or stand in a prescribed position while the X-ray beam travels at an angle. The change in position can move the collarbones and upper ribs away from the lung apices. It may help the radiology team assess an area that was difficult to see on a routine Chest X-Ray. The view itself is an imaging technique, not a diagnosis; findings must be interpreted with symptoms and the rest of the images.

Tell the imaging team if you could be pregnant, have difficulty standing, or cannot comfortably lean back. Remove jewellery or clothing that could obscure the chest, following local instructions. The exposure is brief, and the technologist may ask you to hold your breath. Afterward, your clinician reviews the report and decides whether further imaging, treatment, or a GP Consultation is appropriate.

Contact a clinician promptly for worsening breathlessness, chest pain, coughing blood, blue lips, confusion, or a high fever with severe illness. A lordotic view does not replace urgent assessment when breathing is difficult. Depending on the clinical picture, the work-up may consider Pneumonia, Bronchiectasis, Chronic Cough, or Tuberculosis.

Ask why the additional view was requested, what the radiologist found, whether the result explains your symptoms, and whether you need repeat imaging or Tuberculosis Screening. Ask when and how you will receive the report.