Also called: Also called: CAT scan
Computed tomography (CT) is a diagnostic procedure that uses special X-ray equipment to create cross-sectional pictures of your body. CT images are produced using X-ray technology and powerful computers.
The uses of CT include looking for
- Broken bones
- Cancers
- Blood clots
- Signs of heart disease
- Internal bleeding
During a CT scan, you lie still on a table. The table slowly passes through the center of a large X-ray machine. The test is painless. During some tests you receive a contrast dye, which makes parts of your body show up better in the image.
National Cancer Institute
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CAT Scan
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ctscan/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/ctscanspanish/htm/index.htm
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Computed Tomography (CT): Questions and Answers
(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/CT
- CT Scan(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/ct-scan/FL00065/METHOD=print
- Chest CT Scans Detect Spread of Head, Neck Cancers(10/21/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70701.html
- Virtual Colonoscopy Effective for Average Risk People(09/17/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69410.html
- Broad Screening of Blood Clots May Find Cancers Earlier(09/12/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69242.html
- Whole Body Scanning Using Computed Tomography (CT)(Center for Devices and Radiological Health) - http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ct/
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Cardiac CT(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ct/ct_whatis.html
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Chest CT Scan(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cct/cct_whatis.html
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Computed Tomography (CT) - Abdomen and Pelvis(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=abdominct
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=abdominct
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Computed Tomography (CT): Body(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodyct
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=bodyct
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Computed Tomography (CT): Head(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=headct
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=headct
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Computed Tomography (CT): Sinuses(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=sinusct&bhcp=1
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=sinusct
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Computed Tomography (CT): Spine(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=spinect
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=spinect
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Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=angioct
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=angioct
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Coronary Calcium Scan(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cscan/cscan_whatis.html
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CT Colonography (Virtual Colonoscopy)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=ct_colo
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=ct_colo
- SPECT (Single-Photon Emission Computerized Tomography) Scan(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - Requires media player - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/spect-scan/MY00233/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
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Spiral CT Scans for Lung Cancer Screening(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/lung-spiral-CTscan
- CT Scans: Are They Safe?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/ct-scans/AN01777/METHOD=print
- Doses from Medical Radiation Sources(Health Physics Society) - http://hps.org/hpspublications/articles/dosesfrommedicalradiation.html
- Important Questions to Ask about the Quality of Your Imaging Examination(American College of Radiology) - http://www.acr.org/MainMenuCategories/PatientInfo/ImportantQuestions.aspx
- Medical and Dental Patient Issues(Health Physics Society) - http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/cat5.html
- What Are the Radiation Risks from CT?(Center for Devices and Radiological Health) - http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ct/risks.html
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Whole-Body Computer Tomography (CT) Imaging(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/ct.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/Spanish/ct-Spanish.html
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CAT Scan(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ctscan/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/ctscanspanish/htm/index.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Tomography, X-Ray Computed(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Tomography,+X-Ray+Computed%22
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Dedicated Breast CT Scanner Offers Alternative to Mammography(National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering) - http://www.nibib.nih.gov/HealthEdu/eAdvances/29Apr08
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Evaluation of age-related intraorbital fat herniation through computed tomography. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18827655&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Rotational position of femoral and tibial components in TKA using... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18825470&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Dual energy X-ray imaging. Two is better than one. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18822523&tool=MedlinePlus
- CT Scans -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(tomography,x+ray+computed[majr]+AND+radiography[sh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt]+OR+letter[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
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RadiologyInfo: Glossary of Terms(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/glossary/glossary1.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/glossary/glossary1.cfm
- American College of Radiology Accredited Facility Search(American College of Radiology) - http://www.acr.org/accreditation/AccreditedFacilitySearch.aspx
- Center for Devices and Radiological Health - http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/
- RadiologyInfo(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/
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Keeping Kids Still during Exams(American Society of Radiologic Technologists) - http://www.asrt.org/content/ThePublic/AboutRadiologicProcedures/KeepingKidsStillDuringExams.aspx
Also available in Spanish http://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/patientpages/PedImmolizSP.pdf
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Pediatric CT (Computed Tomography)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=pedia-ct
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=pedia-ct&bhcp=1
- Diagnostic Imaging - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diagnosticimaging.html
- X-Rays - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/xrays.html
- Diagnostic Tests - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diagnostictests.html
CT Scans - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/ctscans.html