Computed
tomography (CT) uses special
x-ray equipment
to create cross-sectional images
of the body. Sometimes
called a CAT scan, this technique
is able to depict the
internal organs with exquisite detail.
Normal and
pathologic tissues can be identified
throughout all organ
systems including lung, bone, soft
tissue, and blood
vessels with great clarity.
CT scans are painless
and noninvasive. Most exams
can
be completed within a few minutes.
The speed of these
exams allows this technology to be
especially useful in
the setting of trauma, where life-threatening
injuries may
be detected within minutes.
As a diagnostic tool,
the uses of CT are many
and
constantly increasing. CT is a mainstay
of oncologic
(cancer) imaging-both in cancer detection
and in
evaluating the success of various
therapies. CT provides
a highly accurate, non-invasive means
of assessing the
blood vessels, including the aorta
in patients who may
have an aneurysm or the renal arteries
in patients who
may have a narrowing contributing
to an elevation in
blood pressure. CT is the most sensitive
means of
evaluating the urinary system for
stones, and a newer
technique, CT urography, has become
the standard of
care in the initial evaluation for
potential tumors of the
urinary tract. Infectious processes
and other
inflammatory conditions are well-suited
to CT evaluation,
and the technique is often used to
guide needle biopsy,
radiotherapy, fluid drainage and
other minimally invasive
procedures.
In order to provide greater
diagnostic information,
CT
scans are often performed with intravenous
contrast.
This requires placement of an IV
by a technologist,
followed by injection of an iodine-based "dye".
Some
scans are best performed with oral
contrast to allow
better visualization of the gastrointestinal
tract. This
requires drinking a barium solution
prior to the exam.
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