What is a Low Dose CT Scan?
A Low Dose CT Scan is an X-ray examination of a part of your body with computer-generated, cross-sectional images of your insides. It may require an intravenous injection of contrast medium into a vein, usually at your elbow or back of the hand.
Please advise us beforehand If you have had an adverse reaction to a previous contrast injection or other drugs or if you have any renal impairment. We will ask you to complete a questionnaire before the examination and sign a consent to the contrast injection if it is required for your examination.
Please advise us if you are, or think you may be, pregnant.
Please bring your referral, Medicare and Pension Health Care Cards with any previous imaging relating to the region being scanned.
Preparation | Spine, Bones and Joints
No preparation required.
Preparation | Head and Chest
Fast for 2 hours. Keep well hydrated.
Preparation | Abdomen and Pelvis
Fast for 4 hours, but drink water as required for thirst. Please arrive one (1) hour before your examination time. After you arrive, you will be given a drink which will fill your stomach and bowel.
Preparation | CT Enterography
Fast for 12 hours, but drink water as required for thirst. After you arrive you will be given a drink which will fill your stomach and small bowel. The scan is done when this has reached the large bowel, usually 30-60 minutes after drinking.
Preparation | CT Colonography
Three-day preparation of dietary restriction and laxatives to completely clean out your colon. For a good quality examination, it is essential that your colon be completely clean. You will need to collect the preparation instructions from our practice beforehand.
Special Precautions
You may not be able to have the contrast injection if you had a reaction to a previous injection. or have significant renal failure.
Special Instructions for Diabetics
If your examination requires fasting, then book an early morning appointment and have your breakfast and diabetic medication after the examination.
If your examination will require an intravenous injection of contrast medium, we need to know your renal function. Please bring along the results of your most recent blood test creatinine level.
After the preparation for your particular examination, and your consent if a contrast injection is to be given, you change into a gown (except for head scans), then lie on a bed which slides through the opening in the scanner. The bed will go through the scanner once for the planning scan, then once for each scan. Some scans such as liver CT may require multiple scans over a few minutes as the contrast flows through.
CT coronary angiography may require intravenous beta-blockers just beforehand to slow the heart rate to less than 60bpm.
CT colonography requires the colon to be inflated with air or carbon dioxide through a tube into the rectum, then scans are taken on your back and then on your stomach. For CT colonography and CT enteroclysis you may be given intravenous Buscopan to paralyse the bowel for a short while.
After the preparation, the scan itself takes about 15 minutes.
Have a high fluid intake for 24 hours to flush out the contrast.
After your examination, the most pertinent images from your study will be available on the myAMI patient portal. A report, along with the images will be sent directly to your referring doctor. AMI will store digital copies of all studies on our secure database for comparison with any future examinations.
**Please bring any previous X-rays with you.
