Mesothelioma Diagnosis & Tests - Chest X-Rays One of the usual first steps to a mesothelioma diagnosis is a chest x-ray. A chest x-ray may show a buildup of fluid in the lining around the lung and is a quick procedure that requires no preparation. A chest X-ray is performed by a radiology technologist. Before the x-ray, the technologist may ask you to remove your clothing from the waist up and remove all jewelry or other objects containing metal. This can block images and compromise the test results. Your body will be positioned against the X-ray film and the technologist will take images from two positions: Back to front (called a posterior-anterior, or PA, view) The side (called a lateral view) Each of the positions only lasts just a few seconds so the x-rays are taken quickly. The amount of radiation from a chest X-ray is low—even lower than what you're exposed to through natural sources of radiation in the environment, says the Mayo Clinic. In short,...