A CT or CAT scan is a type of X-Ray or imaging study also known as computed tomography or computerized axial tomography.\u00a0 It combines a series of images taken from different angles and uses computer processing to create cross-sectional images of the bones, blood vessels, and soft tissues of the body.\u00a0 It was developed by a British engineer named Sir Godfrey Hounsfield and Dr. Alan Cormack in the 70\u2019s.\u00a0 CT scanners first began to be installed in 1974.\u00a0 It was estimated that over 72 million CT scans were performed in the United States in 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A CT scan uses ionized radiation and is regarded as a moderate \u2013 to high \u2013 radiation diagnostic technique.\u00a0 A CT scan may also be performed utilizing a contrast or dye agent to assist in viewing soft tissues.\u00a0 CT scans are frequently used in emergency rooms because the scan takes fewer than 5 minutes and is typically less costly than an MRI.\u00a0 A CT scan is best suited for viewing bone injuries, diagnosing lung and chest problems and detecting cancers.\u00a0 A CT scan can detect differences between tissues that differ in physical density by less than 1%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In traumatic brain injuries, CT scans are commonly used to detect physical damage in the brain and are considered superior in detecting acute subarachnoid or acute parenchymal hemorrhage, hematomas, and swelling. \u00a0 Thus, in the first 24 hours after the injury, a CT scan is the initial imaging modality of choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conventional CT does have its limitations. Ct scans are susceptible to a number of artifacts such a streak artifact, partial volume effect, and motion artifacts.\u00a0 CT can also miss small amounts of blood that occupy widths less than a slice because of volume averaging.\u00a0 CT findings may also lag behind actual intracranial damage, so that examinations performed within 3 hours of trauma may underestimate injury.\u00a0 CT scans also often appear normal in patients with a mild TBI.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1954,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"CAT Scan - The Cochran Firm New Orleans","_seopress_titles_desc":"A CT or CAT scan is a type of X-Ray also known as computed tomography or computerized axial tomography.","_seopress_robots_index":""},"categories":[77],"class_list":["post-1952","sub-practice-areas","type-sub-practice-areas","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-neuroimaging"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cochranfirm.com\/new-orleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sub-practice-areas\/1952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cochranfirm.com\/new-orleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sub-practice-areas"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cochranfirm.com\/new-orleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sub-practice-areas"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cochranfirm.com\/new-orleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cochranfirm.com\/new-orleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cochranfirm.com\/new-orleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}