Patients with a high risk for lung cancer due to family history or other factors like smoking should probably get a lung CT scan, says Raja Flores, MD, thoracic surgeon at The Mount Sinai Medical Center. In this video, he explains why.
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Dr. Raja M. Flores, MD , Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular), answered on behalf of The Mount Sinai Health SystemSee All 2 Answers
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The Medical Center of Aurora answeredSee All 2 AnswersDuring a cardiac CT scan, dye is injected through an IV so that the coronary arteries can be inspected for blockages.
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Challenge America answeredA cranial CT scan is an imaging test that uses x-rays to generate cross-sectional images (slices) of the head. Computerized tomography (CT) is frequently used to give a more detailed diagnosis of the skull, brain, sinuses, and eye sockets. This well-known diagnostic study was used for most complex imaging before MRI became available. CT technique employs ionizing radiation (with or without contrast agents) to create two-dimensional images (slices) of the body. Although many uses of CT imaging are now done with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), there is still a place for this test. For instance, CT is especially good for imaging bone; MRI is better, in general, for soft tissue imaging.
You may lie on a narrow table that goes into the center of the CT scanner. During the cranial CT scan, images will be produced from your upper neck to the top of your skull. The x-ray tube, which is located inside a doughnut-shaped machine, rotates around your body and emits radiation throughout at different angles. Inside the machine are tiny detectors that calculate the radiation leaving the body and change this into electrical signals. These signals are transferred to a computer, which color-codes them and displays the images on a computer monitor for a radiologist to read.
The cranial CT scan does have an acceptable level of radiation exposure, and it can be done on an outpatient basis to help diagnose abnormalities in the head or neck, brain tumor, and determine the cause of hearing loss. With computerized tomography (CT), doctors can make a diagnosis, and then guide surgery and biopsies, target radiation treatment, and drain abscesses.
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RealAge answeredA full-body CT scan is an imaging tool that takes a picture of the body from the chin to just below the hips by using a technology called x-ray computed tomography (CT). Computed tomography uses special x-ray equipment to take cross-sectional pictures of the body, which can give much more detail about internal structures than traditional x-rays alone.
CT scans can be used to diagnose cancer, broken bones, blood clots, internal bleeding, heart disease and other medical conditions in people who have symptoms. They can also be helpful in monitoring the progression of disease or in gauging the effectiveness of a treatment.
However, the use of full-body CT scans in healthy, symptomless people is controversial. Some people who are healthy and are not experiencing any symptoms, but who feel that having a scan of their bodies can give them "peace of mind" and reassure them they are disease-free, may ask their doctors if they can have a full-body CT scans. According to the Food and Drug Administration, full-body scans have not been proven to be safe and effective for this purpose. Furthermore, they could lead to false positive results, unncessary follow-up testing and increased anxiety and stress, rather than peace of mind, as well as the unknown effects of exposing this asymptomatic patient to a significant amount of radiation.
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Trident Medical Center answeredSee All 3 Answers
Low-dose CT chest scans can reduce the risk of cancer deaths in smokers by up to 20 percent. In this video, nuclear medicine supervisor Wes Fox, of Trident Medical Center, explains how this CT scan works.
Find out more about this DVD:
What Kind of CT Scan Can Help Someone at Risk for Lung Cancer?
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Jumo Health answeredSee All 3 AnswersOn the day of your computerized tomography (CT) scan, also called computed tomography or CAT scan, you can expect to go to an office or hospital and meet your radiographer (also known as radiologic technologist). Your radiographer is the person who does your scan.
Usually, you can wear your own clothes, but sometimes you might need to wear a hospital gown. But you do have to remove anything with metal in it because metal can make the CT pictures blurry. This may include earrings, zippers, hairclips, necklaces, rings, watches and belts, depending on where the CT scan is looking.
If you need contrast, you will have it usually right before the scan. The radiographer goes to the room next door to do the scan. They’ll keep talking to you on a speaker and look through a big window, checking that you’re okay.
Once it’s all over, you usually go home, and the radiologist will send a report to your doctor, who will tell you the results as soon as possible. If you’ve had anesthesia, you will have to stay in the hospital for a few hours until you feel awake again.
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Brigham and Women's Hospital answeredSee All 2 AnswersMost computed tomography (CT) scans take no longer than 30 minutes although additional time may be needed to set up an intravenous line and adjust positioning. Some patients will be asked to arrive one hour ahead of time so that the barium mixture they drink will reach and outline the gastrointestinal tract. During the exam, the technologist monitors the patient through a leaded window and can answer the patient's questions via an intercom.
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Jumo Health answeredSee All 8 Answers
A computerized tomography (CT) scan, also called a computed tomography or CAT scan, is a scan that takes very detailed pictures of the inside of the body.
If a person feels unwell or has pain, doctors might suggest having a CT scan to find out what the problem is. Then a radiologist looks at the CT images and talks to the doctor to see what’s going on inside the person, and if there are any problems. Once they know the problem, they can start fixing it.
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Jumo Health answered
Computerized tomography (CT) scans, also called computed tomography or CAT scans, are not painful. The scanner doesn't even touch the person being scanned.