Have you ever wondered how CTs work? Or how do scanners capture X-rays and turn them into 3D images? Or what’s OCT, and how does it work? Or how does a Urogram assist surgeons during urological surgeries? If so, you’re not alone. Even though these aren’t the most common Urogram terms, it’s still essential to understand how these technologies work to make better and more informed decisions about your healthcare. This blog post will discuss the most common CT Urogram terms, where they come from, and how they can help you better understand and choose CT urogram in New Jersey.
CT scanners transmit X-rays through patients while held still and rotate around them quickly, creating cross-sectional images (see cross-section below). These images are sent to computers that reconstruct x-ray data into 3D images or slices that combine all different angles to produce an image. This is the general process for CTs, but we’ll look at how these systems work below.
How do CT scanners work?
While there are many different types of CTs, they all use the same technology to create images. To understand how they work, we need to understand the basics of X-rays and how these technologies can capture them and convert them into useful information for physicians.
X-rays rely on photons, or particles that carry energy in the form of light (think of an X-ray as a ray gun). They travel through matter at high speeds, so they produce such great detail. The energy from a specific type of X-ray is absorbed by a piece of weight, which can be used to determine its composition (think of a blackboard and chalk). The absorbed photons also interact with other atoms or molecules surrounding them. These are collected by special tubes called detectors. As the X-rays pass through the detectors, they generate a small amount of heat that thermometers can detect. This is what we commonly refer to as an X-ray.
But these devices are typically very large, which makes them difficult to transport or fit into tight spaces. Furthermore, hard metal plates and other hardware present in CT scanners increase the risks of potential radiation exposure. Today’s CT scanners use highly sophisticated computers to help doctors enhance patient safety while still providing detailed test images.
