If your examination is of the abdomen or pelvis, you will be asked to arrive 1 hour prior to your examination to drink oral contrast, which will allow for a better evaluation of the bowel.

Although many examinations do not require intravenous injection of contrast, in some cases it may be required to optimize your study. This will be discussed with you in detail by one of our staff members at the time of your visit.

When it is time for the exam, the patient is positioned by a technologist on the CT table. Once situated, the table moves through a doughnut shaped ring called a gantry. This allows the body part that is being studied to be "scouted" by electronic sensors and then viewed on a monitor. For many types of examinations you will be asked to hold your breath and remain still for a few moments. With our high-speed spiral ("helical") scanner, image acquisition is so rapid, that breath holding is usually 20 seconds or less. Most examinations are completed in 10 to 15 minutes.

There is continuous intercom communication with the technologist and the Radiologist who are stationed adjacent to the machine through a clear glass wall.