Services Our Team Schedule Appointment Locations Patient Resources Publications Links		CT Scan Why is a CT scan ordered?  A CT (Computerized Tomography) Scan may be ordered by your physician to get in order to get a detailed view of your bones, joints or other tissue in your body. A CT scan is often used to help detect subtle fractures or other bone and joint injuries. It can be used to visualize soft tissue and advanced three dimensional computer reconstruction of structures are used if needed. CT scans are also used if someone cannot perform an MRI due to presence of metallic objects such as a pacemaker. What will happen to me during a CT scan? When you arrive for the test, you will be placed on an electronic bed, which will carry you through the scanner itself, which is a large doughnut shaped device around the bed. If contrast dye is required, it will be injected just before the test starts. You may experience a warm sensation in your body from the dye, which is a normal reaction. Most of your body will be exposed during the test, so claustrophobia is usually not a problem. The entire test itself usually takes just a few minutes, depending on the scanner and the body area being tested. How does a CT scan work? A CT scanner gathers data from an array of detectors around your body. The data is analyzed in a computer which can then generate a variety of views not possible with other imaging studies such as x-ray. As the CT scan is similar in some ways to an x-ray, please inform your physician if there is a possibility that you may be pregnant, or have an allergy to contrast dye or iodine. Your physician will discuss the results of the imaging studies with you and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.