CT Scan – Dorsal Spine with Contrast aka Tomography, CAT Scan is a type of specialized X-ray. The scan can show cross-sectional images of a specific area of the body. With a CT Scan, the machine circles the body and sends the image to the computer, where they are viewed by a technician. One of the three distinct portions along the spine or the vertebral column (the other two are the cervical spine and the lumbar spine), and is the longest section comprised of twelve thoracic vertebrae that house the spinal cord along the rachidian channel.