About the Scan – Brain CT Scan
SMIL performs brain CT imaging to help detect:
- bleeding, brain injury and skull fractures in patients with head injuries.
- bleeding caused by a ruptured or leaking aneurysm in a patient with a sudden severe headache.
- a blood clot or bleeding within the brain shortly after a patient exhibits symptoms of a stroke.
- a stroke.
- brain tumors.
- enlarged brain cavities (ventricles) in patients with hydrocephalus.
- diseases or malformations of the skull.
In a brain CT, you will be positioned on the moveable examination table, usually lying flat on your back or less commonly, on your side or on your stomach.
Next, the table will move quickly through the scanner to determine the correct starting position for the scans. Then, the table will move slowly through the machine as the actual CT scanning is performed.
You may be asked to hold your breath during the scanning. Any motion, whether breathing or body movements, can lead to artifacts on the images.
When the brain CT examination is completed, you will be asked to wait until the SMIL technologist verifies that the images are of high enough quality for accurate interpretation.
A brain CT scan is usually completed within 15 minutes.
Learn how to prepare for the scan in the brain CT Scan preparations section.
Find out if this procedure is right for you in the benefits and risks of brain CT scan section.
For a downloadable/printable PDF about this exam with preparation instructions click here.
