I have read a lot from the various members here and tried to digest the best way to instruct the team on conducting a CT Scan. This will be my 2nd scan and I wanted to find out if there was conclusive evidence to suggest contrast/no contrast was better, and if there were other details I should pass along. I had contrast the last time and have no contrast this time (CT of the neck).
As always, I appreciate the feedback and prompt responses from this amazing group of people!! I can’t thank you all enough!!!
Hi @JPB - a CT w/ contrast shows soft tissues (veins/arteries in particular) as well as the bony tissues. Because the soft tissues are visible, they can sometimes block a full view of the bony tissues (depending on the angles at which the CT is taken). Contrast in an ES diagnostic CT is most often used to look for vascular compression of either the internal jugular vein or internal carotid artery as well as to get info about styloid elongation/stylohyoid ligament calcification.
To get a good clear view of the styloids, stylohyoid ligaments & hyoid bone, a styloid w/o contrast is what’s best. The CT should be taken of the area from skull base to hyoid bone. This is usually done w/ the head in neutral position.
You can also ask for some 3D images to be included as this will allow you to see what’s going on in your neck rather than having to convert CT slices into 3D images w/ computer software.