A CT Scan (CAT Scan) is a special type of x-ray study that creates highly detailed images of the deep organs of your body. As you lay on a table, a special x-ray rotates around your body. The x-ray information is then processed by a special computer that uses the data to create highly detailed images of the internal organs. CT scans are painless. They have revolutionized the practice of medicine. In fact, the person who invented the CT scan received the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Before CT scans, the only way to see inside the body was with major surgery. Today, using CT scans, doctors can quickly and painlessly look inside your body, to ensure health, or to diagnose illness. CT scans also help to direct therapy.
CT Scans were first used to look at the brain. As the technology progressed, CT scans are now used to study all parts of the body, literally from head to toe. The brain, liver, spleen, kidneys spine, heart, lungs, abdomen, extremities and blood vessels can all be studied painlessly and in great detail. CT scans are useful in diagnosing and treating various medical and surgical conditions accurately.