CT Scan - Dorsal Spine With Contrast Test

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.

Certain exams require a special dye, called contrast. Contrast is delivered into the body before the test starts.

No eating or drinking for 4-6 hours before the test. Make sure that your body weight is less than the CT machine. The patient will be asked to remove their jewelry. A hospital gown will be given to wear during the study. The patient must be still during the exam to avoid blurred images. The patient may be told to hold their breath for short period of time.

The CT scan is used to conduct to view the state of the spinal cord of the patient’s body. This test is needed to be performed if the patient is suffering from dysfunctional joints, arthritis, herniated or degenerative discs. These can be the reason for the pain causing in the dorsal spine. The doctor will examine the report and then prescribe the cure and medication for the same.

Patient will lie over a narrow table that slides into the center of the CT scanner. Once the patient is inside the scanner, the machines x-ray beam rotates around the patient.

A computer creates separate images of body area (together can create 3-D models of the body area) which are called slices which can be stored, viewed and printed on a film. The scan will take 10 to 15 minutes.