What A CT Scan Shows Of The Head & Brain
Computed Tomography (CT) scans are a type of diagnostic imaging study that physicians use to help them diagnose certain medical conditions. CT scans can be conducted on any part of your body. Your head or brain is one of the common areas that a doctor may want to have studied with a CT scan. Here is what to expect from it.
What Is A Head CT Scan?
A head CT scan is a study that creates three-dimensional pictures of your head. Each picture is referred to as a “slice.” Advanced computed tomography scanners can take anywhere from 4 – 320 slices during a single study. The more slices a CT scan can capture, the higher quality the images will be. A head CT scan will produce images of your skull, brain, sinuses, eye sockets, and more. These images can diagnose a wide range of medical conditions.
What Does A Head CT Scan Show?
The images captured by a head CT scan will show the various bones in your skull. These images are analyzed to rule out potential medical conditions and to plan out treatments if necessary. When it comes to producing images of your head, physicians prefer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans over CT scans. MRI scans have an easier time producing high-quality images of the head since it is comprised of mostly soft tissue.
However, an MRI scan of the head cannot be conducted if the patient has certain medical implants such as a pacemaker. When medical implants in the patient are present, the head CT scan will come into play. For patients without medical implants, an MRI scan may be conducted after your head CT scan to ensure the highest quality of images is captured.
Why Did My Doctor Order A Head CT Scan?
Your physician ordered a head CT scan to identify and rule out certain medical conditions. Here are a few symptoms that may cause your physician to order a head CT scan:
- Brain Fog
- Dizziness
- Fainting
- Headaches
- Hearing loss
- Vision loss
There are many medical conditions that can cause these symptoms to occur. Head CT scans can help diagnose medical conditions including:
- Aneurysms
- Brain tumors
- Brain infections
- Dementia
- Internal bleeding
- Strokes
If a patient suffers a physical head injury such as a concussion, a physician will order a head CT scan right after it occurs. A head CT scan can be conducted a lot quicker than a head MRI scan, so it is very useful in emergency situations.
South Jersey Radiology Associates (SJRA) offers eleven convenient and comfortable locations across the South Jersey area that can perform diagnostic and advanced imaging scans. If you are ready to schedule your CT scan appointment, visit any of the following locations:
- Greentree Office – Marlton, NJ
- Haddonfield Office – Haddonfield, NJ
- Turnersville Office – Turnersville, NJ
- Voorhees Office – Voorhees, NJ
- Route 73 Office – Voorhees, NJ
- Washington Township Office – Sewell, NJ
- West Deptford Office – West Deptford, NJ