The physical and psychological preparation you can provide for this or any test or procedure depends on your child's age, interests, previous experience, and level of trust. There is no discomfort from the X-ray . If there is a head injury , positioning of the head may be uncomfortable. There is low radiation exposure. X-rays are monitored and regulated to provide the minimum amount of radiation exposure needed to produce the image.
Most experts feel that the risk is low compared with the benefits.
Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of the X-ray . The X-ray is also used to evaluate an unusually shaped child's head. The X-ray will show normal structures for the age of the patient. The skull X-ray may show fractures , tumors, brain tumors that contain calcium, erosion or decalcification of the bone, or shifts in the soft tissues inside the skull. A CT scan of the head is often preferable to a skull X-ray to evaluate head injuries .