What is a CT scan?
Computed tomography (CT) allows your doctor to see inside your body, not just bone, but also muscles and organ systems. The advantage to you is that a CT scan allows your doctor to see things inside your body in much greater detail.
To accomplish this, we use sophisticated computers and scanning equipment to create a five-dimensional image from up to 64 individual X-rays. Today’s technology is faster and more accurate than ever before.
Using CT technology, your doctor can quickly and accurately diagnose the cause of acute abdominal pain, detect an inflamed organ in your abdomen, identify urgent problems such as appendicitis, and see diseased blood vessels that can lead to heart attack, stroke, gangrene or kidney failure.
Effective treatment begins with an accurate diagnosis – and with new 64-slice CT technology at Providence Medford Medical Center, you can feel confident that you and your doctor are seeing the whole picture.
Cardiac CT and Coronary CT Angiography
Previously cardiac imaging cardiac imaging meant a lengthy procedure in which the physician inserted a catheter in the circulatory system, injected the heart with contrast and then reviewed a series of two-dimensional X-rays. This procedure, called a heart catheterization, carried a small but significant risk of complications.
Now, with 64-slice CT we can identify people who will not need a heart catheterization. After administering an iodine contrast medium through a simple IV, we can obtain a complete view of the heart and coronary arteries in just 10 seconds – and no catheterization. With the help of advanced workstations, your radiologist can then rotate, move, zoom in on and explore accurate 5-D images of your heart to detect signs of heart disease without invasive surgery. Fast, convenient early detection of heart disease is helping doctors treat the causes of heart attacks and sudden deaths in situations where the conditions might otherwise have gone undetected. If the doctor finds signs of heart disease, a heart catheterization may still be needed to treat the problem.
- The doctor can detect life-threatening illnesses at an early stage, including heart disease, cancer, stroke and lung disease.
- Quick scan times for faster, more pleasant exams.
- Designed to comfortably accommodate larger patients.
- Clearer and more detailed scans of the body in seconds instead of minutes.
Note: For some CT scans, prior to your procedure you may be asked to come to the Diagnostic Imaging office and pick up a drink that will make the images clearer for the radiologist.
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