Unexplained stomach pain?? Go for Abdomen CT Scan

What is an abdomen CT scan?

CT Scan Abdomen – Computed tomography is abbreviated as CT. It is one of the non-invasive imaging techniques to diagnose any disease, internal injury, or fracture. Suppose a physician wants to diagnose problems in the abdominal region, such as the spleen, liver, kidney, bladder, small and large intestine, stomach, blood vessels, lymph nodes and pancreas. In that case, he will ask for an abdominal CT scan. This life-saver technique is used to diagnose internal bleeding and injuries in case of accidents. 

CT scans- types

Each of the different types of CT scans has a different set of instructions to prepare yourself before going to get yourself scanned. Different categories of CT scans are as follows: 

1. CT scan (Plain)- with no prior preparation

2. CT scan (IV Contrast)- May require prior preparation for IV contrast

3. CT scan (IV Contrast and oral contrast)- This May require prior preparation for IV contrast and oral contrast. 

CT scan (Plain)- no contrast materials are needed in the case of a plain CT scan. Moreover, there are no special instructions for plain CT scans, apart from the normal instructions for CT scans. 

Various types of plain CT scans include: 

1. CT Temporal BonesCT IAC (Internal Auditory Canal)

2. CT Mandible

3. CT Facial Bones

4. CT Orbits

Purpose: To detect 

1. Fractures

2. Trauma

3. Infections

4. Tumours

5. Jawbones (dislocation)

6. Facial bones and mastoid anomalies

7. Inner ear or middle ear problems

CT Sinuses 

 Purpose: To detect 

1. Deviated septum 

2. Sinusitis

3. Polyps

6. CT Ankle

7. CT Foot

8. CT Elbow

9. CT scan of Clavicle and Sternoclavicular Joints

10. CT Hand

11. CT Hip

12. CT Knee

13. CT Sacrum & Coccyx

14. CT Wrist

Purpose: To detect 

1. Injury to the ligament 

2. Dislocations.

3. Fractures

CT scan (IV Contrast)- This May require prior preparation for intravenous contrast injection. The contrast dye is the iodine-based material injected or orally provided to the patients to enhance the clarity of soft tissue and blood vessel image interpretation. It is an ideal dye to differentiate cancer-like pathologies. Various CT scans may require intravenous contrast; these include,  

CT Head  

Purpose: To detect 

1. Infarction

2. Reason of headache

3. Stroke

4. Seizures

5. Bones trauma

6. Tumours

7. TIA

8. Haemorrhage 

9. Dizziness

CT scan neck and soft tissue

Purpose: To detect 

1. Mass

2. Tumour

3. Gland lesion

4. Foreign object

5. Infection

6. Abscess

CT scan Extremities

Purpose: To detect 

1. Mass

2. Fractures

3. Injury in ligament 

4. Dislocations

CT scan Spine

Purpose: To detect 

1. Cervical injury

2. Abnormalities thoracic spine 

3. Lumbar spine injury

CT scan Chest

Purpose: To detect

1. Lung infections, such as emphysema, fibrosis, and tumours

CT Urogram

Purpose: To detect

1. Kidneys

2. Ureters

3. Bladder for stones

4. Blockages 

5. Stenosis

6. Cancers

CT scan Stone Search 

Purpose: To detect

1. Kidneys problems

2. Ureters defects

3. Bladder for stones

CTA scans

Purpose: To detect

1. Blood vessels 

2. Blood clots

CT scan (intravenous Contrast or oral contrast)- You may require prior preparation of IV contrast and oral contrast.

For this category of CT scan, you must confirm with the doctor whether intravenous or oral contrast is required. 

Oral contrast dye is barium sulphate based radiopaque to enhance the visibility and differentiate tissues of the digestive tract as white on CT scan films. 

CT Abdomen 

Purpose: to monitor and diagnose

1. Cancer

2. Abdominal pain

3. Bowel obstruction.

CT scan Pelvis

Purpose: to diagnose

1. Bowel obstruction

2. Cancer

3. Abdominopelvic region

4. Pelvic pain

Contrast CT of the pelvis and abdomen 

The procedure for a contrast CT involves injecting a contrast dye (oral barium) intravenously. This contrast dye is used for visualisation purposes and does not affect the patient in any ongoing treatment. The contrast material will help contrast the target tissue against the surrounding.

Reflected Signals from the patient are received by the scanner (receiver part), which then transmits these to the computer station. The signals are overlapped and converted into images studied by your physician or laboratory expert to interpret data and process the results in a readable form.

side effects associated with Abdominal CT Scan

Side effects of the contrast dye 

An  IV contrast  CT of the abdomen is not usually a harmful diagnostic tool. However, for pregnant women, repeated exposure to these radiations can lead to cancerous effects on the newborn. Other risk factors include, but are not limited to the following,

1. Repeated ionising radiation exposure: Computed tomography is the X ray based scanning of the body. X rays are ionizing radiations that have the ability to cause cancer in high doses. 

2. Pregnant ladies: Medical practitioners always tend to direct the least dose of ionising radiation to get an inside image, but even that small amount of radiation can be threatening for the foetus.  In that case, the lady must inform the doctor about her pregnancy, so that her doctor can recommend some alternatives such as ultrasound and MRI techniques.These two techniques do not work using ionising radiations which are harmful and can lead to cancer in unborn babies, instead these are based on ultrasonic waves and Magnetic waves, respectively. 

3. Risk due to contrast material: In a few cases, people undergoing intravenous or oral contrast imaging experience some problems after the scan. People must inform before going for CT scan if they have the following problems:

A. Allergies (to food, medicines)

B. Kidney problems 

If ignored they can suffer from some very serious problems like,

1. Hypotensive shock

2. Convulsions

3. Pulmonary edema

4. Cardiac arrest

5. Respiratory problem  

Oral contrast CT scan Side effects: Patients might experience several side effects after oral contrast CT scan; the reason can be the effect of barium contrast dye. These symptoms include, 

1. Diarrhea

2. Nausea

3. Abdominal cramping

4. Constipation

5. Vomiting

Intravenous (IV) contrast CT scan Side effects: Patients might experience several side effects after intravenous contrast CT scan; the reason can be the effect of iodine contrast. These symptoms include:

1. Itching

2. Skin rash

3. Headache

Prepare yourself for a prior abdominal CT scan.

When a doctor asks you for a plain or contrast CT scan, you must prepare yourself before the scanning has been scheduled. 

A. For plain CT scan: 

1. In this case, a person must take off the jewellery or other metallic objects before you enter the CT scan room. 

2. Make sure your clothing is not having any chains or crafts of metal that may become the projectile of the Scanner and can interfere in the process.

B. For CT scan (contrast)- abdomen and pelvis

1. It is mandatory to stay empty for at least 3 hours before entering the scan room. 

2. It is advised to consume clear liquids. 

3. Make sure that you have taken prescribed medicines before the examination.

DIABETICS: For a diabetic patient, it is allowed to have light food 3 hrs prior scan.

CT scan abdomen price

Prices of CT scans vary among different cities in India.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you understand with the term CT scan abdomen?

Computed tomography is the X-ray based medical imaging technique that helps in detection of internal injuries, various diseases, fractures, tumours, etc.. Suppose a physician wants to diagnose problems in the abdominal region, such as the spleen, liver, kidney, bladder, small and large intestine, stomach, blood vessels, lymph nodes and pancreas. In that case, he will ask for an abdominal CT scan. This life-saver technique is used to diagnose internal bleeding and injuries in case of accidents.

What are the 3 categories of CT scans?

Your doctor may ask you to get a contrast CT scan or a plain CT scan. A contrast CT scan provides a contrasting image of the target organ as compared to the surrounding tissues more clearly than plain CT scan. Each of the different types of CT scans has a different set of instructions to prepare yourself before going to get yourself scanned.

Different categories of CT scans are as follows:

1. CT scan (Plain)- with no prior preparation

2. CT scan (IV Contrast)- May require prior preparation for IV contrast

3. CT scan (IV Contrast and oral contrast)- May require prior preparation for IV contrast and oral contrast.

Risk factors of a Contrast CT scan?

An  IV contrast  CT of the abdomen is not usually a harmful diagnostic tool. However, for pregnant women, repeated exposure to these radiations can lead to cancerous effects on the newborn. Other risk factors include, but are not limited to the following,

1. Repeated ionising radiation exposure: Computed tomography is the X ray based scanning of the body. X rays are ionizing radiations that have the ability to cause cancer in high doses. 

3. Pregnant ladies: Medical practitioners always tend to direct the least dose of ionising radiation to get an inside image, but even that small amount of radiation can be threatening for the foetus.  In that case, the lady must inform the doctor about her pregnancy, so that her doctor can recommend some alternatives such as ultrasound and MRI techniques.These two techniques do not work using ionising radiations which are harmful and can lead to cancer in unborn babies, instead these are based on ultrasonic waves and Magnetic waves, respectively. 

3. Risk due to contrast material: In a few cases, people undergoing intravenous or oral contrast imaging experience some problems after the scan. People must inform before going for CT scan if they have the following problems:

A. Allergies (to food, medicines)

B. Kidney problems 

If ignored they can suffer from some very serious problems like,

1. hypotensive shock

2. convulsions

3. pulmonary edema

4. cardiac arrest

5. Respiratory problem  

Are you prepared for your CT scan?

When a doctor asks you for a plain or contrast CT scan, you must prepare yourself before the scanning has been scheduled. 

For plain CT scan: 

1. In this case, a person must take off the jewellery or other metallic objects before you enter the CT scan room. 

2. Make sure your clothing is not having any chains or crafts of metal that may become the projectile of the Scanner and can interfere in the process.

For CT scan (contrast):

1. It is mandatory to stay empty stomach for at least 3 hours before entering the scan room. 

2. It is advised to consume clear liquids. 

3. Make sure that you have taken the prescribed medicines before the examination.

DIABETICS: For a diabetic patient, it is allowed to have light food 3 hrs prior scan.

What are the possible side effects of an abdominal CT scan?

Patients might experience several side effects after intravenous contrast CT scan; the reason can be the effect of iodine contrast. These symptoms include:

1. Oral contrast CT scan Side effects:

A. Diarrhoea

B. Nausea

C. Abdominal cramping

D. Constipation

E. Vomiting

2. Intravenous (IV) contrast CT scan Side effects:

A. Itching

B. Skin rash or hives

C. Headache

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