Abdominal X-ray (2 views)

Two x-rays of the belly, usually one lying down and one sitting or standing. The second position is the point of the study: gas and fluid settle differently when upright, which is how a blockage or free air outside the bowel gives itself away.

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What it is

An abdominal x-ray shows the outlines of the organs and, more usefully, the pattern of gas inside the intestines. One picture taken lying flat shows the layout. The second, taken with the patient upright or lying on one side, is what makes this a two-view study: gravity separates gas from fluid, so loops of bowel that are obstructed show a level line where the two meet, and air that has escaped outside the bowel collects at the top where it does not belong. Dense things — most kidney stones, some swallowed objects, metal, surgical clips and tubes — show up clearly. Soft tissue detail does not, which is why a CT often follows when the answer is not obvious.

Why it is done

As a fast first look in someone with abdominal pain, swelling, or persistent vomiting
To look for a blockage of the intestine, or for gas that has leaked outside it
To look for a stone in the kidney or urinary tract that is dense enough to be seen
To confirm that a feeding tube, drain, or other device has ended up where it was meant to

What to expect

Usually there is nothing to prepare, though a scheduled study may ask for an empty stomach. The patient changes into a gown and removes anything metal at the waist. For the first image they lie on their back with the machine positioned over the abdomen, hold still and hold a breath. Then the technologist repositions them upright, or turns them onto one side, and takes the second. Neither exposure is felt. The whole thing is typically under fifteen minutes. Someone too unwell to sit up will have the second view taken lying on their side instead.

Questions worth asking

Was this billed as a two-view study or as a larger series? Adding a chest view or a third abdominal picture changes the code.
If a CT of the abdomen follows within hours, will both appear on the bill, and was the x-ray a required step first?
Was the study taken with a portable machine in a room or bay rather than in radiology? That commonly carries a higher technical charge.
If this was ordered only to check the position of a tube, ask whether a single view would have been enough.

What Abdominal X-ray (2 views) costs by state

Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Texas — 109 hospitals, median $404.40
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in California — 89 hospitals, median $361.90
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Florida — 71 hospitals, median $962.64
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Ohio — 68 hospitals, median $350.25
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Illinois — 51 hospitals, median $383.20
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Virginia — 43 hospitals, median $396.90
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Tennessee — 38 hospitals, median $83.18
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $290.00
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Pennsylvania — 32 hospitals, median $327.00
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Washington — 32 hospitals, median $275.60
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Iowa — 31 hospitals, median $254.52
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $340.00
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $281.40
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $303.81
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Arizona — 24 hospitals, median $159.90
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in New York — 23 hospitals, median $125.84
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Kentucky — 22 hospitals, median $394.80
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in New Jersey — 22 hospitals, median $114.65
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Missouri — 21 hospitals, median $242.00
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $319.20
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $465.50
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Oklahoma — 17 hospitals, median $284.70
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $229.50
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $235.68
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $255.30
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $292.50
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Arkansas — 11 hospitals, median $206.05
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $863.22
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $126.28
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $327.00
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $464.45
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $387.20
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $730.08
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $505.53
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $216.80
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $286.53
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $121.28
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Louisiana — 2 hospitals, median $234.52
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $124.80
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $188.80
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $294.00
Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $602.35

Abdominal X-ray (2 views) prices at hospitals

See every published price for Abdominal X-ray (2 views): the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.

Abdominal X-ray (2 views) cost — see all prices →

Sources

MedlinePlus: Abdominal x-ray (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
RadiologyInfo (RSNA/ACR): X-ray (Radiography) - Abdomen (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)

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