Non-Surgical Orthopaedic & Spine Center

CT Scan & Myelogram

Computerized Axial Tomography (CT or CAT Scan) is a simple non-invasive procedure that enables medical professionals to quickly and safely obtain sophisticated and accurate diagnostic information on the brain, chest, abdomen, pelvis, spine and extremities. The scan itself consists of an examination table surrounded by a donut shaped cylinder. The cylinder will rotate around the table, as thin x-ray beams take cross-sectional “snapshots” of the area of the body being examined. The system computer creates comprehensive, three-dimensional pictures within seconds, then reconstructs these snapshots into a static image. These enlarged images allow your doctor and the radiologist to see many different cross-sections of the body part being scanned, something that is not possible with traditional x-rays. The entire procedure is fast, pain free and produces important medical information.

The myelogram is an x-ray of the spinal cord and canal. The major drawback is that this is an invasive test. A liquid contrast medium/dye is injected into the spinal canal, making internal structures visible on the fluoroscopic screen and x-ray film. The myelogram is used to diagnose disc problems, spinal tumors or spinal abscesses. After injecting this contrast medium, the spinal cord, nerves and non-bony structures show up on the x-ray films as seen on the image to the left.