What Can a CT Scan Diagnose?

When it comes to diagnosing an injury, your doctor may request a CT scan. Similar to getting an X-ray, a CT scan is a series of X-rays that are combined to create a clearer and more detailed image of an affected area. An X-ray only provides a two-dimensional image of bones and cartilage in the body, while a CT scan provides your doctors with three-dimensional images of an injured or damaged area. If you were recently injured, your doctor may have first run an X-ray because these are very quick and reliable. However, if your doctor would like a more detailed look at the area or find parts of the X-ray inconclusive, then they may recommend you get a CT scan in Atlanta.

A CT scan provides your doctor with a thorough look at a damaged or injured area and also helps to pinpoint the precise location of the issue. CT scans are commonly used by doctors as a diagnostic imaging tool that provides highly detailed, accurate, and swift results. Doctors in a variety of specialties may recommend a CT scan to assist with a diagnosis, including orthopedic specialists, neurologists, chiropractors, and car accident doctors. CT scans are sometimes also referred to as a CAT scan, and these terms refer to the same exact diagnostic imaging test.

Understanding CT Scans

When your doctor recommends a CT scan, you can expect a painless procedure that doesn’t take a lot of time at all. Depending on the area that needs to be scanned, your doctor may request that you do not eat or drink for a few hours before the scan. You will lie on a table inside the CT machine that is shaped like a giant donut. CT scans and X-rays do both use radiation, but they expose you to the most minimal amount so you will hardly experience any side effects.

Here are 3 common reasons why your doctor may order a CT scan in Atlanta.

Common Reasons Why Doctors Order CT Scans

Soft Tissue Damage

While X-rays can only show bones and cartilage, a CT scan can provide a more in-depth look at how soft tissues surrounding these bones may have been damaged as well. Soft tissues include muscles, tendons, ligaments, spinal discs, and other tissues that provide support and structure for your bones. Not all broken bones are as simple as they seem, and a CT scan can offer your doctor a more detailed analysis of the bone, where the break occurred, and what other soft tissues nearby may have been affected. When bones are not involved in an injury, you can still sustain soft tissue damage and a CT scan can help pinpoint the location and severity.

Head Injuries

If you were recently injured and hit your head, then your doctor may want to run diagnostic imaging tests to get a clearer picture of your brain and internal structures in your head and neck. CT scans can detect any internal injuries like bleeding, tumors, blood clots, or excessive fluid buildup. Your doctor may also want to run a series of CT scans over a period of time to manage the healing process of a head injury. For example, repeat CT scans over a specified period of time can show whether or not a specific treatment is working.

Alternative to an MRI

Depending on your situation and injury, your doctor may prefer to run a CT scan instead of an MRI. An MRI scan can take a lot longer than a CT scan in Atlanta and the results are not as quick. Both CT scans and MRIs take three-dimensional images of affected areas like bones, joints, soft tissues, and blood vessels. An MRI scan is very loud and can be uncomfortable for some people who struggle with confined spaces and have claustrophobia. MRIs are also not an option for people who have metal implants like a pacemaker. Overall, CT scans in Atlanta are more common than an MRI scan and are often less expensive. They both provide your doctor with highly detailed images of an injured or damaged area.

If you have recently suffered an injury, talk to a doctor at AICA Orthopedics about which scan they recommend for diagnosing and treating your specific injury. Our teams of multi-specialty doctors are highly skilled and knowledgeable in diagnosing and developing treatment plans for a wide range of illnesses and injuries.