Abdominal CT Scan

* CT or MRI scans – these sophisticated scans involve lying still inside a machine as it takes images of the internal organs. The pictures that result can give a very good idea of whether cancer might be present but aren 't absolutely definite as cell samples are needed to make a full diagnosis. Scans are often done in order to guide a biopsy to suspicious areas.

Narrowing the problem down takes a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis. Which could reveals a mass. When your examine the patient start with the left iliac region, this area is dull to percussion: when you palpate it, you will comment on a mass (if this is the diagnosis). Always ask patient where does it hurt? How long has she had this pain? Check her blood work, look for discharge, sourness, or check her urine, if often tells or leads to localized pain. Since some causes are life threating abdominal pain patients need to be triage rapidly and precisely. (Simmons,

This week I rotated through CT. CT is computed tomography. CT uses special x-ray machines to show detailed images of the body planes. This machine splits the body into axial, sagittal, and coronal images on one scan. Some CT scans are done with contrast and some are done without contrast. Contrast in used to highlight the vessels in the body so they will show up bright on the image. The contrast is injected through an IV that is inserted by either a tech or a nurse. Most scans were done on the chest, abdomen or pelvis but I also seen a few soft tissue neck scans and head scans. CT does both out patients and inpatients. They have a busy schedule and is very hard for them to stay on track. It doesn’t take much for them to fall behind.

The authors of, Journal of Trauma Management & Outcomes: Free abdominal fluid without obvious solid organ injury upon CT imaging: an actual problem or simply over-diagnosing, Vanessa M. Banza, Muhammad U Butt, Heinz Zimmermann, Victor Jeger and Aristomenis K Exadaktylos partnered together to provide the reader with current literature and available information in an overview of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for over-diagnosing free abdominal fluid without evidence of organ

Thus allowing me to form a differential diagnosis and rule out certain causes, such as; constipation, and indigestion. Subsequently, the physical examination enabled me to confirm a diagnosis of acute abdomen. As the patient was not experiencing any worrying (red flag) symptoms associated with abdominal emergencies, such as; appendicitis or pancreatitis. However, I did forget certain aspects of the physical examination and had to be prompted by the MO. Although with more practice such incidence would be reduced.

It is always challenging to accurately diagnose abdominal pain in the primary care settings. An extensive knowledge of the anatomy and physiology could help narrow down possible causes of abdominal pain.

This condition may be diagnosed based on a physical exam, medical history, and X-rays of the abdomen. You may also have other tests, such as a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis.

The accurate clinical assessment of acute abdominal pain remains one of the more challenging areas of medicine. The variety of conditions that require emergent medical management, and often surgical management, vary widely in clinical presentation and physical examination 13.Diagnosis of many acute abdominal conditions relies on a good history and physical examination and the appropriate use of radiological investigations14.There is no single radiological test that is uniformly effective in identifying the cause of acute abdominal pain .Various factors, including age, sex and the suspected clinical diagnosis determine the choice of radiological investigation . Ultrasound is being used increasingly in the assessment of acute non-traumatic abdominal pain as it is non-invasive and does not carry the risk of radiation15.

Owing to the risks posed by the radiation associated with tests such as computed tomography and scintigraphy, ultrasound has grown in popularity as an easy and quick way of imaging the abdomen. This has led to a considerable increase in the number of such scans being performed for acute abdominal

Computed tomography (CT) is a modern imaging tool that combines X-rays with computer technology to produce a more detailed, cross-sectional image of patient’s body. A CT scan lets the doctor see the size, shape, and position of structures that are deep inside patients’ body such as organs, tissues, or tumors. The doctor need to use CT if the patient has a problem with a small, bony structure or have severe trauma to the brain, spinal cord, chest, abdomen, or pelvis.

The imaging of patients suspected of having renal colic has dramatically changed over recent years. Historically, patients suspected of renal colic were imaged with an intravenous pyelogram (IVP). Advances in computed tomography (CT) quickly led to the widespread use of CT imaging of patients in the acute care setting. CT offers prompt evaluation of the urinary tract and abdominal/ pelvic organs making it useful in evaluating any patient with unexplained abdominal or flank pain. Patients suspected of having renal colic due to stones are frequently imaged with non contrast CT imaging without the administration of intravenous or oral contrast (CT-KUB). The accuracy of CT-KUB in diagnosing urinary stones is reported to be 97 %. (Low 2013)

Laboratory and imaging tests are often not helpful, so can be done last, to make the final differential diagnosis from the limited set of possibilities we are able to determine after a complete history and physical. Normal lab results can occur even with significant disease, and abnormal lab results can occur even with mild disease and may not be specific enough to be diagnostic. An exception would be serum lipase, which would indicate acute pancreatitis. CT scans are usually the most useful when there is significant abdominal pain, but in emergency cases, the patient should probably proceed to surgery rather than wait for imaging results.

CT scan also known as a CAT scan stands for computerized tomography. It takes 3-dimensional pictures of the inside of the body. CT scans can be used to view, monitor, or diagnose things such as: muscle and bone disorders, cancers, heart disease, tumors, infections, blood clots and internal injuries. The procedure is done within a scanner that is hollowed out (donut shaped); a table will slowly move you into the opening of the scanner while the X-ray tube inside the scanner rotates around the body. You will need to remain still for up to thirty seconds during each scan. The scan is painless and you will be alone in the room during the scan, but the technologist can see, hear, and speak to you at all times. The reason the technologist must leave the room is because there is radiation exposure involved, which could increase the possibility of cancer.

There are many different types of procedures that are preformed for radiology. The more of them you study, the better experience you will have with using the machines. Some types are X-rays, CT scan, mammograms, ultrasounds, and PETs. X-rays are a type of image produced on photogenic film. A CT scan also stands for computerized tomography, and that is a continuos x-ray that moves around the patient; this tends to put off a lot of radiation. A CT scan helps people with head injuries and blood clots. Mammograms are x-ray pictures of the breasts to see if there are any breast tumors or cancer.

X-rays are mainly used for detecting any bone fractures, breaks or abnormalities, allowing doctors to apply the necessary treatment to follow. X-rays are also important for diagnosing various diseases, such as ulcers, kidney stones, or more commonly; cancers. In low doses, X-rays can be used to construct images of structures inside the body to detect a tumor. For example, when performing a chest X-ray, doctors can see whether or not