CT Scan
Computer tomography (CT) is a series of x-ray images taken from different angles around your body to create cross-sectional images of the bones, blood vessels and soft tissues within the body. It can be used to visualize nearly all parts of the body to diagnose disease or injury as well as plan medical, surgical or radiation treatment.
Low Dose CT
Low Dose CT (LDCT) is a fast, painless, noninvasive test that can spot lung cancer very early in its course, while it is still highly treatable. LDCT uses 90% less ionizing radiation than standard CT, making it safe for most high-risk patients to have annually, even those with pacemakers. LDCT takes just a few minutes to get high-resolution details of the lungs and chest, capturing even the tiniest nodules better than a standard chest x-ray.
Yearly screening is recommended if:
- Patient is 50-80 years old
- Current or former smoker
- Have at least a 20-pack-year smoking history
PET/CT
A PET scan measures important body functions, such as metabolism. It helps doctors evaluate how well organs and tissues are functioning. CT imaging uses special x-ray equipment, and in some cases a contrast material, to produce multiple images of the inside of the body that are viewed and interpreted by a radiologist. CT imaging provides excellent anatomic information.
Combined PET/CT scanners perform almost all PET scans today. These combined scans help pinpoint abnormal metabolic activity and may provide more accurate diagnoses than performed separately.