Computed tomography (CT) is a non-invasive diagnostic tool in which a source producing x-rays and an x-ray detector are rotated around a person. According to Merck Manuals, an online medical library, CT scanners have 4 to 64, or even more, rows of detectors. This allows for a series of 2-D image "slices" that can be compiled by a computer to make a 3-D image. There are several different types of CT scans, which are categorized based on the part of the body being investigated.
Cardiac CT
Cardiac CT is used to provide a highly detailed image of the heart and attached blood vessels. The University of Chicago Health Center describe how doctors use cardiac CT to investigate possible blood vessel and/or heart blockages and coronary artery disease, in which the walls of the main blood vessels attached to the heart are damaged. The images provided by a cardiac CT aid doctors in estimating a patient's risk of having a heart attack in the future. For this type of CT, the patient is given an IV dose of a contrast dye just prior to the CT scan, which makes the vessels and the heart visible by x-ray. A cardiac CT is performed when the patient has chest pain, or other symptoms that indicate that he may have heart disease.
Chest CT
Chest CT creates a highly detailed image of the organs in the patient's chest, such as the lungs. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), chest CT is used to determine the size and shape of the organs in the chest and in relation to one another. A chest CT is sometimes used to follow-up inconclusive results from a simple chest x-ray, especially if lung symptoms, such as shortness of breath and abnormal breath sounds, are present. Chest CT can diagnose lung cancer by identifying the size, location, and number of tumors in the lungs. This type of CT can also diagnose other lung disorders, such as emphysema or tuberculosis.
Cranial CT
This type of CT is used to examine structures in the head, such as the brain, skull, cranial blood vessels, and the sinuses. If blood vessels are the target of the cranial CT, contrast dye will be injected through an IV, similarly to a cardiac CT. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that cranial CT can be used to identify tumors in the brain or other parts of the head, in addition to bleeding in the brain, brain infection, or congenital abnormalities of the head that are present at birth.
Abdominal CT
Abdominal CT is used to identify disorders of the organs in the abdomen, such as the intestines, gall bladder, pancreas, or appendix, according to Merck Manuals. By analyzing the images produced by an abdominal CT, a doctor can identify blockages of the intestines or gallstones. This type of CT is also used to diagnose inflammation of the appendix and pancreas, called appendicitis and pancreatitis, respectively.
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