PA Anatomy: Imaging Overview-Radiography

For a chest radiograph, or 'CXR' for short, we display the image in the same orientation regardless of whether it was done AP or PA, so that structures will always be in the same place on the image. By convention, the CXR is shown as if you are facing the patient (as you would while talking to them or taking a history). This means that the patient's RIGHT side will be on the LEFT side of the image. This takes some getting used to.

Because the images are digital files, we can also easily invert the traditional appearance of white on a black background to BLACK on a WHITE background. This may be done for certain types of images, including CXRs as it can make some abnormalities easier to see.