Title is self explanatory.
In: Technology
So when an x-ray, as in the actual energy wave, enters you, it only bounces back when something super dense hits it, like a bone, which will reflect almost all of the x-ray. The film of the xray machine picks up the the reflected ray and develops it into an image (very similar to how normal camera film uses visible light to make an image on film). This is how an xray film is made. Once developed, the film shows every place that was too dense for the xray to penetrate.
Sometimes things other than bones can reflect the xray back. If there is a lot of fluid in the lungs, this can cause the xray to be reflected back. Fluid in the lungs is a sign of infection. Technically, the xray did not prove that the patient is infected. If the patient recently inhaled water, that would be a whole other story. But, if they have a persistent cough, the water in the lungs would confirm there is a serious infections (and where the infection is).
I know it’s nitpicking, but in all technicality, an xray doesn’t diagnose infection in itself. It is a piece of the puzzle.
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