Computed Tomography (CT)

Your physician may ask you to get a CT scan to help detect, diagnose, monitor or guide treatment of:

• Bleeding inside your body
• Bone, muscle or joint problems
• Cancer
• Heart and vascular problems
• Lung problems
• Tumors and masses

The type of scan you need will depend on the part of the body your doctor wants to learn more about. Some common types of CT scans include:

• Abdomen CT
• Bone CT
• Chest CT
• CT angiography
• Head CT
• Kidney CT
• Lung cancer screening
• Pancreas CT
• Spine CT

If you have a CT scan coming up, breathe easy—CT scans are painless. During a CT scan, you’ll lie on a table. The table slides into the center of a donut-shaped scanner. The scanner slowly rotates and takes pictures.

For some types of CT scans, you’ll receive an injection of a special chemical, called contrast. The contrast makes certain parts of your body, such as your blood vessels, easier to see on the images. Your Spectrum Health care team will tell you ahead of time if they want to use contrast for your CT test.

Your test results will be available within 24 to 48 hours. We’ll share your results with the doctor who ordered your test and add them to your MyChart account. Your doctor will explain the results and help you decide next steps.