Diagnosis Of mesothelioma

CT Scans

During the mesothelioma diagnostic process, the person under diagnosis will have to undergo a variety of different medical imaging procedures. One of those is often a CT scan, which provides some highly detailed information about the type of disease that is involved and how far it has advanced.
Along with the results of other tests such as PET scan, MRI scan, and x-ray, the results of your CT scan are used by doctors to diagnose and stage your cancer. This information is used to determine the best and most appropriate course of treatment, and to give you a prognosis, which is a general idea of how doctors expect the disease to progress. CT scans and other tests may also be carried out after you're diagnosed. In these cases the tests are used to determine how effective your current treatment is.

The CT Scan Procedure

A CT scan is almost like an x-ray, in that a series of several separate x-ray pictures are taken when you are undergoing the procedure. However, the major difference is that a CT scan takes a large number of pictures, rather than just one or two. Using a CT scan to take many different images allows technicians and doctors to build up a three dimensional image of the inside of the body.
If you undergo a CT scan you may be given an intravenous injection of dye that helps produce more a detailed picture by increasing the contrast of the images that are taken. The injection might be slightly uncomfortable, but unless you have an unexpected allergic reaction to the dye that is used, there is no danger. Usually if you have an allergy you'll already be aware of it, and can inform your doctor. The technician will then use a different type of dye when preparing you for the test.
The CT scan itself is usually over quite quickly, in ten minutes or less. The technology used for these diagnostic tests is highly sophisticated and allows a complete scan to be taken in just a few minutes.
In some cases you may receive a CT scan at the same time as another procedure called a PET scan. Carrying out both tests at the same time allows specialists to get additional information about the location of mesothelioma and whether it has spread to other locations.

Getting Test Results

In most cases, test results for your CT scan will be available within a few days. The scan images are interpreted by a doctor who is specialized in reading the detailed images produced by CT equipment. After the results have been read, your doctor will receive a summary of the findings, and you can talk to your doctor to find out about the results and what they mean.