CT Scan - Mesothelioma Diagnosis
CT scans are commonly employed to make an initial determination that the patient does potentially have malignant mesothelioma. CT scans can also be helpful in determining the extent that the cancer may have spread.
The CT scan is an x-ray procedure with a large doughnut-shaped machine that creates detailed cross-sectional images of the body. Instead of taking just one picture, like a traditional x-ray, a CT scanner takes several photographs as it rotates around the body. A computer then combines the pictures to make a single image of a slice of the body at a given point. The CT machine makes pictures of multiple slices of the portion of the body that is being studied. The CT scan allows technicians and doctors to create a three-dimensional image of the inside of the body.
If you are scheduled for a CT scan, the specialist will instruct you to refrain from eating and drinking for at least four hours prior to the procedure. Immediately prior to the scan, you may be given an injection of an iodine-based dye that will make certain parts of your internal anatomy more visible in the scan. There are side effects associated with this – usually consisting of a feeling of heat throughout your body. If you are asthmatic or allergic to iodine, it is vital to give the physician this information prior to the CT scan.
Thickening of the pleura and peritoneum and excess fluid in the chest and abdominal cavities will become apparent in a CT scan. However, these can be symptoms of any number of disorders. Determining whether or not mesothelioma is the cause require additional tests.
One of these tests is called pleural or peritoneal aspiration. This procedure involves the insertion of a special kind of needle syringe into the chest or abdomen, which is then used to draw fluid. Again, chances are that you as the patient will be sedated before this is done; it is really quite painless.
Once a sample of this fluid has been obtained, it undergoes a lab analysis to determine whether or not it contains cancerous cells.
Related posts:
- Mesothelioma Diagnosis – Techniques to diagnose mesothelioma
- How is Mesothelioma Diagnosed?
- Diagnosis Of Mesothelioma – Diagnosis Of Mesothelioma
