CT Scans
AVAILABLE AT: Mediclinic Bloemfontein | Busamed Bram Fischer International Airport Hospital
Contact form
It’s So Gentle, Many Patients Think Nothing Happened
A DEXA scan uses such a tiny amount of radiation that many South Africans joke:
“I’ve had hotter days in the Karoo than this scan.”
Not Just for Bones
Many practices in SA use DEXA for body composition scans, popular with fitness trainers, athletes, and anyone wanting to measure muscle vs fat.
One of the Fastest “Serious” Scans
A full bone density scan takes about 10–20 minutes.
MRI and CT? They look at DEXA like:
“Teach me your ways.”
Some ambulances in SA have access to mobile CT units
In trauma-heavy regions, SA has used mobile CT scanners to improve rapid brain injury diagnosis — particularly for severe head trauma.
What is Computed Tomography?
A CT scanner uses X-rays to obtain many images from different angles while the patient moves through the scanner gantry on a motorized bed. A high performance computer is used to create volumetric acquisitions of the images, which can be reconstructed into cross sectional or 3D images of the body.
The images can be compared to a loaf of bread that has been sliced by a bread slicer, where each slice can be taken and examined individually. The exam is relatively short and provides much greater detail and information to radiologist than conventional radiography.
During most CT examinations, iodinated contrast is given either intravenously or orally. This improves visualization of the internal organs and vascular structures and helps better characterize lesions. CT can also be used to guide biopsies or other minimally invasive procedures.
Women who are pregnant must alert their doctor and the radiographer if they are being scheduled for a CT scan.
NB! If you have a history of allergies or previous reactions to iodinated contrast, please inform your doctor and the radiographer before having a CT scan.