CT (Computed Axial Tomography)

A CT scan is a diag­nos­tic test that uses both x‑ray and com­put­er tech­nol­o­gy. Cross sec­tion pic­tures of the body are tak­en and ana­lyzed by the com­put­er to make 3 dimen­sion­al pic­tures of the body. The CT scan­ner is a large square machine with a hole in the cen­ter, some­thing like a dough­nut. The pro­ce­dure takes approx­i­mate­ly 20 – 30 min­utes and is pain­less. Dur­ing a CT scan, you lie still on a table as it slow­ly pass­es through the cen­ter of a large X‑ray machine. Dur­ing some tests you receive a con­trast dye, which makes parts of your body show up bet­ter in the image. Fol­low­ing the pro­ce­dure you may get back to your nor­mal activ­i­ty and diet right away.