Computed Tomography

Computed Tomography (often abbreviated as CT) is a diagnostic imaging procedure that uses a combination of X-rays and computer technology to produce cross-sectional images (often called slices), both horizontally and vertically, of the body. A CT scan shows detailed images of any part of the body, including the bones, muscles, fat, and organs. CT scans are more detailed than standard X-rays.

History

The development of CT started in the late 1960s with the work of Godfrey Hounsfield of EMI Laboratories, England and Allan Cormack of Tufts University, Massachusetts. The first commercially viable CT scanner was invented by Hounsfield and it was installed in Atkinson Morley Hospital in Wimbledon, England. The first patient scan was done on 1 October 1971.

Procedure

In a CT scan, the patient lies on a table and the table moves slowly into the large, circular opening of the scanning machine. While the patient is inside the scanner, the machine's X-ray beam rotates around the patient. Small detectors inside the scanner measure the amount of X-rays that make it through the part of the body being studied.

Uses

CT scans are used to study all parts of your body, such as the chest, belly, pelvis, or an arm or leg. They can take pictures of body organs, such as the liver, pancreas, intestines, kidneys, bladder, adrenal glands, lungs, and heart. It also can study blood vessels, bones, and the spinal cord.

Risks

The amount of radiation a person gets during a CT scan is minimal. In most cases, the benefits of a CT scan, which can provide extremely detailed images of body structures, outweigh the risks of radiation exposure.

See Also

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Ultrasound
• X-ray
• Radiology

References

Computed Tomography Resources
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