CAT scan number of slices

[Guest guest]

would 50 slices be much preferrable over 16 slices for sinus CAT?

that seems like a huge difference and is what the two scan places here

offer.

does the 50 slices expose you to alot more radaiation?

thanks, amy

[Guest guest]

It depends on what you're looking for. If you're trying to identify an infection tract or "wormhole" then it definitely helps to have more slices. But if your doc just wants to see if you have sinus disease/infection/inflammation in general, fewer slices is probably enough.

I personally would want more slices because it's more information. But it's not going to help to have 50 slices if the person reading it has no clue or understanding what he/she's looking for. It can take a really knowledgeable person who's willing to spend a lot of time analyzing the scans to figure out what's going on, and honestly, most docs don't do that. I have a friend who's had dozens of scans and numerous docs analyze them. She also has one of the best radiologists out there who spends hours looking at her scans and even he can catch infection tracts he never saw before when she gets another scan. Apparently, it's not an exact science either, just another tool and the tool's usefulness depends on who's using it.

I don't know about radiation. It's just a necessary evil as far as I'm concerned (regarding my own case, no one else's). I just had 2 CTs in the last couple weeks and I'm scheduled for follow up x-rays in a couple of weeks to see if my treatment has helped my sinuses (which I could basically just tell my doc that it hasn't as of today but I'd rather have the proof for my docs to see for themselves, OR for me to see if there's any progress being made).

I'm sure if you do a google search, you can find lots of information on radiation levels.

One thing I'd suggest is be sure you get a copy of those scans for yourself so if you see a new doctor in the future, you'll have them for reference. He/she can view them himself, rather than just read a report written out by the radiologist or previous doctor who ran them.

penny

From: amydent9 <amydent9@...>Subject: [infections] CAT scan number of slicesinfections Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 1:09 AM

would 50 slices be much preferrable over 16 slices for sinus CAT?that seems like a huge difference and is what the two scan places hereoffer.does the 50 slices expose you to alot more radaiation?thanks, amy