Multi-Slice CT Scanner
Our goal is to provide the best possible medical care for you and your family. Please take a few minutes to read some general information about your CT exam, and feel free to ask your physician or radiologist any additional questions you may have.

What is a CT exam?
CT is an abbreviation for computed tomography – a valuable diagnostic medical exam that combines X-rays and computers. Often called CAT scans, CT scans have been performed successfully for almost 30 years.

A CT scan gives the radiologist a non-invasive way to see inside your body. Using a computer, these 2-D images can be presented as 3-D pictures for in-depth clinical evaluations.

Reasons for a CT exam.
CT exams are performed when people are ill or injured, or when a doctor suspects a medical problem that cannot be detected easily with a routine physical examination. CT is also used to rapidly obtain specific diagnostic information that hasn’t been provided by other imaging technologies, such as ultrasound, traditional X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). If you have any questions concerning your exam, please ask your physician or radiologist.

What should I expect?
A CT technologist will escort you into the CT scanning room, where you’ll see a table and a large, doughnut-shaped device called a gantry. The technologist will have you lie down on the padded table and make sure you’re comfortable.

You’ll be asked to lie very still during the scan and may be asked to hold your breath for a short time to minimize any body movement.

During the scan you might hear a humming noise, but you won’t feel anything unusual. You may notice the table moving while images are being taken at certain locations of your body. The technologist can monitor you during the entire exam through a window and ill talk to you through an intercom.

The specific details of your examination will be explained fully by a CT technologist or your physician.

How long will the exam take?
The actual scan, in which the CT acquires X-ray images of your body, takes only a few seconds where you may need to hold still. However, the rest of the CT exam takes longer as the images are processed on the computer.

Are IVs or shots involved?
Depending on the exam, a solution called “contrast” may be administered with an IV to help the physicians diagnose your condition. It is very important to let your doctor know beforehand if you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to contrast, or if you have any other allergies, especially to iodine-based products or shellfish.

After the CT examination. The radiologist will carefully analyze your CT images, review the findings with your physician, and provide a report. Your physician will then discuss the results with you.

The safety of CT examinations.
CT is a common and effective diagnostic procedure. In fact, nearly 35 million CT exams have been performed in the U.S. every year. Like many other radiology imaging technologies, CT has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. All the people involved in your care are professionals qualified to conduct your CT exam.ve and efficient, a CT exam is one.