Which imaging exams use contrast materials?

 

 CT images of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including:

• pharynx
• esophagus
• stomach
• the small intestine
• the large intestine (colon)

In some situations, iodine-based contrast materials are substituted for barium-sulfate contrast materials for oral administration.

Intravenous Contrast Materials
Iodine-based

Iodine-based contrast materials injected into a vein (intravenously) are used to enhance x-ray and CT images. Typically they are used to enhance the:

• internal organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, adrenal glands, kidneys, pancreas, gallbladder, spleen, uterus, and bladder
• gastrointestinal tract, including the stomach, small intestine and large intestine
• arteries and veins of the body, including vessels in the brain, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis and legs
• soft tissues of the body, including the muscles, fat and skin
• brain
• breast

What are contrast materials and how do they work?

Contrast materials, also called contrast agents or contrast media, are used to improve pictures of the inside of the body produced by x-rays, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and ultrasound. Often, contrast materials allow the radiologist to distinguish normal from abnormal conditions.


Contrast materials are not dyes that permanently discolor internal organs. They are substances that temporarily change the way x-rays or other imaging tools interact with the body.


When introduced into the body prior to an imaging exam, contrast materials make certain structures or tissues in the body appear different on the images than they would if no contrast material had been administered. Contrast materials help distinguish or “contrast” selected areas of the body from surrounding tissue. By improving the visibility of specific organs, blood vessels or tissues, contrast materials help physicians diagnose medical conditions.


Contrast materials enter the body in one of three ways. They can be:
•swallowed (taken by mouth or orally)
•administered by enema (given rectally)
•injected into a blood vessel (vein or artery; also called given intravenously or intra-arterially)

Extra knowledge on CT Scan

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/pdf/bodyct.pdf

Click on the link to have an extra knowledge of CT Scan of the body.