CT Scan: An Overview | Steve Ferrara

A CT scan is a diagnostic medical test that uses a combination of X-rays and computerized images to examine body structures. CT scans are commonly used as a noninvasive way to examine the chest and abdomen, including the lungs, heart, and nearby organs. Radiologists can conduct CT Scans on patients in ambulatory care settings and radiology centers.

5 Reasons for Performing a CT Scan

Radiologists and doctors use CT Scans to obtain information about the inside structures of the body. The scan examines the soft tissue and bones, allowing doctors to evaluate problems with organs and tissues. CT Scans can help detect a variety of medical problems, including:

1) Blood clots or tumors

CT Scans help doctors detect blood clots in vessels deep within the body and tumors that have spread beyond the area where they began.

2) Head injuries

Radiologists often use CT Scans to examine patients who have suffered head injuries because CT scans can help detect bleeding within the skull or brain.

3) Acute abdominal pain

CT scans can help diagnose acute abdominal pain due to appendicitis or a hernia and identify other medical problems in your digestive tract.

4) Benign conditions in the abdomen or chest

Doctors use CT scans to examine the chest and abdomen and organs and tissues nearby. Sometimes, CT Scans provide information about conditions that are not visible on X-rays, such as a gallbladder problem.

5) Noninvasive prenatal tests

Doctors sometimes take CT Scans to confirm when an ultrasound can detect a problem with the uterus.

How is a CT Scan Performed

The patient lies on a table that slides into a tunnel-shaped device called a CT scanner that takes X-rays of the body. The machine makes multiple passes over the body, taking images from different angles. The computer assembles the images into cross-sectional views of the body’s internal structures and displays them for the radiologist to evaluate.

A CT scan is most often performed with a combination of X-rays and computerized images to examine body structures. The scan examines the soft tissue and bones, allowing doctors to evaluate problems with organs and tissues.

Today, CT Scans are one of the most common and useful imaging tools that physicians and radiologists use to diagnose medical problems. The scan allows doctors to examine the organs and bone structures without making an incision or using invasive testing or procedures. It can also prevent medical problems from developing and detect abnormalities that aren’t visible on X-rays.

-

-

About Steve Ferrara

Steve Ferrara, MD, FSIR, FACR, is known to everyone who works with him as being a man who believes in the science of things. As someone who is double board-certified in Diagnostic, Vascular, and Interventional Radiology, Ferrara is most passionate about treating and preventing complex diseases. He currently works for the Department of Defense as the Deputy Director for Clinical Operations and Chief of Clinical Optimization for the National Capital Region. The place that he works is most well known for being the military's largest healthcare Market; it includes 7 of the major facilities, including renowned Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a hospital that cares for over 500 thousand beneficiaries and has an annual budget of over $1.6 billion. Steve is in charge of maintaining the top clinical Interventional Radiology practice at Walter Reed, and is also a Clinical Professor of Radiology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Not only does Steve Ferrara have an incredibly impressive medical career, but he also has a very impressive and distinguished military career. During his tenure in the Navy, Steve served as a Captain. He also became a Chief Medical Officer tasked with working with a world-class health system of over 63,000 medical personnel. During his 25-year career in the Navy, he's had multiple deployments with the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Some of these deployments included combat, humanitarian, and disaster relief missions.

To learn more about Steve Ferrara, be sure to check out his websites!