CT examination
WHEN IS IT RECOMMENDED?
- Searching for or exclusion of diseases of the nervous system (brain and spine).
- For the evaluation of the viscerocranium and paranasal sinuses.
- In suspicion of a tumor disease, any parts of the body can be examined to allow the exact evaluation of the spread of a known tumor.
- For the detection of inflammatory diseases, and for the evaluation of the treatment efficacy of a tumor or inflammation.
- For the evaluation of bleedings, bones and soft tissues following accidents and injuries.
- For the detection of blood vessel stenoses and occlusions.
FOR WHAT AGE GROUP?
Though it can be performed for all age-groups, children are only examined in highly reasonable cases, due to the fact that X-radiation is used. In pregnancy the examination is also performed only in special cases.
HOW OFTEN IS IT RECOMMENDED?
Depending on the clinical situation, frequency should be discussed with the therapist.
DOES IT HAVE ANY RISKS?
Images are acquired via X-ray that is accompanied with radiation exposure of the patient. CT examination should be performed if the information content of the examination is more beneficial for the patient health than the risk of the radiation exposure. Rarely, contrast material administered intravenously during CT scan may cause an allergic reaction. These are generally mild, but in extremely rare cases serious complication may occur. Always inform your doctor if you had any kind of reaction after using an iodinated contrast material. Chances of contrast material induced side effects are higher, if the patient has heart disease, asthma, diabetes, kidney or thyroid disease. The patient should always inform the radiologist about these conditions.
HOW TO REQUEST AN EXAMINATION?
If requested by the therapist, the examination needs referral of a physician (excluding a general practitioner). In this case, the examination is made according to the booking period and paid by the National Health Insurance Fund. The patient can also pay for the examination according to our pricelist. In this later situation the examination is made in a significantly shorter waiting time. If you would like the examination yourself, please consult your doctor to find out whether this study is needed or not.
DOES IT HAVE ANY SIDE-EFFECTS?
There are no side effects except for the possible contrast induced reactions.
HOW IS THE EXAMINATION PERFORMED?
The CT scanner is similar to a big, wide ring with a table moving in its lower side. The patient is lying on this table during the whole period of the examination. The device is quite loud during its normal operation. The most modern multi-detector devices make a sound similar to a smaller airplane when preparing to take off. Don’t be frightened of this noise. The CT examination is painless itself, but most of the times it is necessary to administer intravenous contrast material, which means an intravenous injection. Though the scan lasts for a relatively short time, moving or breathing is prohibited, because movements and breathing can make the images more or less invaluable. Our colleague will tell you exactly through a microphone when you should stop breathing.
Our colleague will ask you to lie on the table, afterward the table will start sliding into the wide ring. After that you should stay still for a short time. If our colleague asks you, you should hold your breath as well. In most cases intravenous contrast material is administered before the second scan. If necessary, subsequent scans will be carried out.
In case of abdominal-pelvic routine CT examinations, 1.5-2 liters of liquid should be consumed prior to the actual scan in 1-1.5 hours to differentiate the bowels. This liquied can be diluted iodinated or barium contrast material, water or a non-absorbing material solved in water. The pace of consumption is instructed by our colleague. It is important to strictly follow these instructions. The consumed great amount of liquid may cause diarrhea. It is common, don’t be alarmed.
- Special abdominal-pelvic CT scan for the evaluation of the small bowels: the small bowels should be filled with liquid. It can be done through a probe, or by consuming the liquid. It is particularly important to follow the instructions given. At this point the examination has ended for you. This is followed by a special evaluation resulting in images similar to an endoscopy (virtual endoscopy).
- Special abdominal-pelvic CT scan for the evaluation of the large bowels: for the proper illustration, the large bowels are filled with air through a slim tube introduced into the rectum. Spasmolytic medication is administered as an injection to reduce the inconvenience of the procedure. The proper filling is essential for a good examination. After filling, a short scan will be made in prone and then in supine position. At this point the examination is over for you. This is followed by a special evaluation resulting images similar to a colonoscopy (virtual colonoscopy).
Special CT scan for the evaluation of the heart and the coronaries: the heart is visualized with the help of the contrast material administered through the cubital vein. Before the examination the blood pressure is measured and an ECG is made. The rhythmic heart beat is important. If there is arrhythmia, medications are used to normalize heart beat. Standstill and holding the breath is important during the short scan period. The least movement will already result in artifacts significantly worsening or impeding the evaluation.
You can find detailed information here on this modality.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE THE EXAMINATION?
However fasting is required 4-6 hours before the CT examination, abundant amount of gas free water or tea should be consumed. If you have diabetes, and you are taking tablets (Adimet, Adebit, Meglucon, Metformin, Metrivin, Mercformin(BMS), Siofor, Meforal, Gluformin, Metfogamma, Avandamet, Euceras, Jamuvia, Janumet, Velmetia) for your disease, this medication should be skipped 2-3 days before and after the CT examination. You should consult your therapist about how to keep your carbohydrate metabolism in balance during this time. You should take your other regular medicines before the CT examination.
Large bowel CT: cleaning of the bowel is necessary for the successful examination. A humane way of this is if the patient, after having a light breakfast on the day before the examination, won’t eat anything, while consuming a material for this purpose called X-Prep or Fleet-Phosphosoda and a lot of filtered, gas-free fluid.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
5-15 minutes on the average. Examination of the heart takes 30 minutes.
WILL IT BE PAINFUL?
The CT examination is painless, but most of the times it is necessary to administer intravenous contrast material, which means an intravenous injection
WHEN DO I GET MY RESULTS?
The time needed for the evaluation differs depending on the examination at hand. While the findings of a skull examination is ready right away, more time is needed to evaluate a large bowel examination. Please, consult the operator when will the results of your examination be ready. It is important to point out if someone else will recieve the results for you, you should first authorize them to do so.
BOOKING TIME?
With referral, covered by the social security it may take 2-4 weeks.
For paying patient it is less than 1-2 days!
Price
Imaging diagnostic examinations are performed for persons with social security, continously paying contributions and allowances or have a valid legal relationship for any other reason in Hungary on the expense of the social insuracnce (SI). The majority of patients makes use of our services as ambulatory care, i.e. as an out-patients. Out-patient examinations have been readily financed by the SI to a certain extent only and this is far less than the real demand would require. With regard to the fact that examinations above this limit are not financed by the SI, most health care instituations and providers – and so do we – take measures to book our examinations. We perform the appropriate amount of monthly financed examinations after summarizing the bookings. But since the demand for imaging diagnostic examination if much higher than what the above limit permits, in some cases patients have to wait for certain examinations several weeks, even months. Naturally, this waiting time doesn’t apply for urgent examinations. Applying an urgent examination is the duty of the referral doctor, after coinsidering the patient’s health status and in the cases of the clinical status of “urgent demand” defined by the law. Inpatient examinations are imaging diagnostic examinations for patients staying permanently in health care institutaions. Theoretically there isn’t any limit for examinations of this type. If the doctor of the inpatient decides that imaging diagnostic examination is necessary for the patient, this still will be performed on the day of such request. In every case the adequately filled out referral and the valid SSN number (social security number) is needed before performing the examination.
The validity of social insurance legal relationship has to be checked in case of every patient.
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