Chest X-Rays for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)Current as of: May 23, 2016 Author: Healthwise Staff Medical Review: E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Ken Y. Yoneda, MD - Pulmonology |
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Chest X-Rays for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)Your doctor will probably do a chest X-ray if he or she suspects you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) . A chest X-ray provides a picture of the heart and lungs. Although COPD cannot be diagnosed with a chest X-ray alone, it can help your doctor evaluate shortness of breath, help support a diagnosis of COPD, and detect advanced emphysema . A chest X-ray is done at the time of initial diagnosis of COPD. Although routine follow-up chest X-rays are not usually done, many doctors advise smokers and recent ex-smokers to have this test every 1 to 2 years. Abnormal chest X-ray findings are usually not seen until COPD is severe. In this case, the X-ray may show:
A normal chest X-ray does not mean you do not have COPD. It may be most useful for ruling out other conditions that might be causing your breathing problems, such as lung cancer , heart failure , pneumonia , or tuberculosis . Current as of: May 23, 2016 Author: Healthwise Staff Medical Review: E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Ken Y. Yoneda, MD - Pulmonology |
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