What Is CT Scans?

Doctors use CT scans (or CAT scans) to look for broken bones, cancers, blood clots, and more. Learn about the CT scan and what to expect during one.

*Health information sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. co-pay.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.

Computed tomography (CT) is a type of imaging. It uses special x-ray equipment to make cross-sectional pictures of your body.

Doctors use CT scans to look for:

During a CT scan, you lie still on a table. The table slowly passes through the center of a large X-ray machine. The test is painless. During some tests you receive a contrast dye, which makes parts of your body show up better in the image.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

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