How Does a CT Scan Work?

Board-certified by the American Board of Radiology, Dr. Jay

Emerson Jones currently practices at MBB Radiology in
Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to making diagnoses from
mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs, Dr. Jay Emerson Jones
interprets CT scans, which consist of numerous cross-sectional
images of the body.
Providing much more information than traditional X-rays, CT
scans offer detailed views of the bones and soft tissues. This type
of radiography is performed for a wide range of purposes,
including diagnosing infections and locating tumors, blood clots,
bone fractures, and internal bleeding. To undergo a CT scan, the
patient lies on a narrow table that glides into the machines tubelike gantry. Once in position, the patient must remain still while the
gantry spirals around the body, taking multiple images of the body
in slices. These cross-sectional images are then stored on a
computer, where special software can be used to stack the slices
and create 3-D models of the area in question to obtain a
diagnosis.