Definition of Skull x-ray:

A skull x-ray is a picture of the bones surrounding the brain, including the facial bones, the nose, and
the sinuses.

See also: Sinus x-ray

How the test is performed:

The test is performed in a hospital radiology department or in the health care provider' s office by an
x-ray technician. You will be asked to lie on the x-ray table or sit in a chair. Your head may be placed
in a number of positions.

How to prepare for the test:

Inform the health care provider if you are pregnant. Remove all jewelry.

How the test will feel:

Generally, there is little or no discomfort during an x-ray. If there is a head injury, positioning the
head may be uncomfortable.

Why the test is performed:

Your doctor may order this test if you you have injured your skull or you have symptoms or signs of a
structural problem inside the skull (such as a tumor or bleeding).

A skull x-ray is also used to evaluate an unusually shaped child's head.

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed include the following:

 Malocclusion of teeth
 Mastoiditis
 Occupational hearing loss
 Otitis media; chronic
 Otosclerosis
 Pituitary tumor
 Sinusitis

X-ray
Skull of an adult

 Reviewed last on: 12/22/2008

 David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of
Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant
Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General
Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Related Articles

 X-ray
 Sinus x-ray
 Erosion
 Increased intracranial pressure
 Dementia
 Friedreich's ataxia
 Hydrocephalus
 Malocclusion of teeth
 Mastoiditis
 Meningitis
 Multi-infarct dementia
 Occupational hearing loss
 Ear infection - chronic
 Otosclerosis
 Petit mal seizure
 Pituitary tumor
 Alzheimer’s disease
 Sinusitis