X-Ray

The Imaging Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital provides advanced imaging services to obtain the safest and highest quality X-rays for your child. Caring for children of all ages, from fetal life to young adulthood, our team combines specialty expertise with a focus on each child’s individual needs to ensure the most accurate diagnostics.

An X-ray, or radiography, takes a picture of the inside of your child’s body using small doses of ionizing radiation. X-rays are the most frequently used form of medical imaging for children and adults.

At SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, our team goes to great lengths to ensure that our X-rays are performed with the lowest possible radiation exposure to our patients. By providing X-rays that are appropriate for your child’s weight, age, and size, the benefits of an X-ray greatly outweigh the risk of being exposed to a small amount of radiation.

What Should I Do Prior to Your Child’s Exam?

There are no specific preparations for general X-rays, but here are some general things to remember:

• Dress your child comfortably, in clothes that are easily removed. (Sweat clothes, t -shirts). If needed, we’ll give your child a gown to change into for the X-ray.
• Limit the use of jewelry and metal (zippers, snaps) in the area that is being examined.
• We allow one or both parents or guardians to accompany the child into the scanner room. Siblings or other family members will be asked to remain in the waiting room.
• If a parent remains in the room with the child, they will be asked to wear a lead apron. This is a required to protect any person that remains in the room during the procedure.

Women who are pregnant or may be pregnant will be asked to leave the exam room during the procedure to ensure their safety. We also ask that patients and family members refrain from cell phone use in the exam room to limit any distractions.

What should I Expect During the Exam?

• A lead shield will be provided for your child as long as it does not interfere with the exam.
• Our technologist will then place your child in the right spot and point the camera at the part of the body being examined. The light from the camera will shine on your child's body to help the technologist aim the X-rays.
• Our technologist will ask your child to hold still and, sometimes, to hold their breath for a few seconds.
• Your child will not feel the X-rays, but sometimes the required positions for the area being X-rayed are awkward or uncomfortable. These positions only have to be held for a couple of seconds.
• You may be asked to help with holding your child still during the exam. Any type of movement during an X-ray will show up blurry.
• We then send the images to our radiologist to be reviewed.

If you’d like, one of our Child Life Specialists will help you prepare and support your child during the procedure.

Test Results

After the exam, there are no special instructions for your child to follow. You may be asked to wait in our Imaging department while our SLUCare Physician Group radiologist reviews your images and speaks to your child’s primary care physician on the phone about the results. Your child’s doctor may ask to speak to you on the phone while still in our department so they can discuss the next steps in the care of your child.

At SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, we look forward to caring for your child. With an experienced staff and state-of-the-art imaging technology, you can count on us to deliver the excellent care your child needs. To schedule your appointment today, please call 314-577-5652.