CT scans also known as CAT scans or computer axial tomography have many medical and non-medical uses. This enhanced imaging technique came into popular use in the 1970's in hospitals where the three dimensional images were a large improvement over X-ray for diagnosing and evaluating many conditions. While new medical uses continue to be found, imaginative non-medical applications have developed as well.
Cancer Diagnosis
CT scans are far better than conventional X-rays for diagnosing cancers and other conditions involving soft tissue. As the web site "Radiology Schools" explains, conventional X-rays show white for bone and black for hollow structures like the lungs; soft tissues are suggested by gray shadows. With CT scans, the image of the soft tissue is as clear as the image of hard bone. SInce they pick up details that are not clear in X-rays, CT scans can image small cancers that would not be otherwise detectable.
Diagnosing Heart Disease
CT scans are better or less invasive than other techniques for evaluating heart disease. For example, a 2010 article in US Today reports that CT scans can detect tiny calcium deposits in soft cardiac tissue of healthy people. Diagnosing this early symptom of heart disease has the potential to save many lives. A 2007 study at Johns Hopkins Medical Center found that CT scans of the heart and surrounding tissue were almost as accurate as invasive cardiac catheterization to check for blockages.
Historical Research
CT scans can also be used for non-medical purposes. For example, the CT scan was used by researchers studying King Tutankamum in 2005. These scans showed King Tut had not been killed by a blow to the head, as was commonly believed. The scans also produced a wealth of information such as Tut had a broken leg, impacted wisdom tooth and slight cleft palate.
Using CT scans was a distinct advantage over other possible techniques that might have involved opening the mummy and destroying materials that were 1000s of years old.
Military Applications
The U.S. Department of Energy uses CT scans to detect defects in aging components of nuclear weapons. In this instance, the procedure is just the same as medical uses, but higher levels of radiation can be used. This technique allows weapons to be closely inspected without putting human lives in danger.
References
- Stanford University School of Medicine: Computed Tomography (CT) Services
- Johns Hopkins Medicine:High-Tech CT Scans- Not A Bad Choice to Test for Clogged Arteries
- USA Today: Study: CT Scans may Help the High Risk
- National Geographic: King Tut Not Murdered Violently, CT Scans Show
- Reuters: US Uses CT Scans to Check out Nuclear Stockpile
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