When to Remove Clothing for X-rays

Yes, it may take a few minutes of your time, but it never hurts to place a patient in a gown rather than a collared shirt or polo.  It's hard to tell which clothes will show up on x-ray and which ones won't, but if there's any doubt, go ahead and remove it.

The image below shows a collared shirt that happened to make an appearance on the radiograph.  There is also evidence of clothing laterally near the diaphragm:

There are so many variables in determining whether or not a patient's clothes will show up on your x-rays.  Sometimes, it depends on the fabric itself.  100% cotton generally doesn't show up on a radiograph, as long as it's not bunched up or folded.  Polyester typically does.  The type of exam you're doing with the technical factors you're selecting also contributes to how much you will see clothing, but let's focus on these simple guidelines:

1. If it's anything other than a plain cotton t-shirt, it will probably show up.
2. If you're concerned about it overlying the area of interest, remove it.
3. If it has embroidery, logos, or buttons, better to take it off.

Of course, it never hurts to simply change everyone into patient gowns, but it's up to you to weigh the pros and cons for yourself.  If you don't want to go that route, just keep in mind the repeat exposures and amount of time it may take if you have to perform a second exposure every time you see some of these artifacts interfering with your exam.