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CT scans are used to detect and monitor many types of diseases. CT Angiograms are a specific type of CT scan that uses dye injected a high rate to evaluate the arteries of your body. Carotid CT Angiograms evaluate the vessels of the neck to look for aneurysms, vascular tumors, narrowing and blockage of the vessels of the neck, among others.

This CT scan uses special software to create realistic 3D images and gives the Radiologist interpreting the test the ability to look inside the vessels.

CT angiograms of the carotids are typically ordered for the evaluation of stroke to detect blockages and narrowing of the arteries in the neck caused by plaque that ultimately supply the brain. Symptoms related to stroke include:

• weakness
• sudden speech difficulties
• confusion, erratic behavior
• vertigo, dizziness
• pain, tingling
  
• numbness

CT Angiograms can diagnose:

Plaque - CT Angiograms of the carotids can detect soft and hard plaque deposits that overtime narrow the opening of the vessel leading to reduced blood flow to the brain. Some plaque can abruptly "tear" off sending bits of plaque into the brain, blocking small vessels. Sometimes these tiny blockages can be completely unnoticed and other times cause the symptoms of stroke. In some cases the vessel can narrow to a point and cause a rushing sound in the neck called a "bruit." The sound is blood trying to get through the narrow opening.

Dissection - This refers to a tear in the wall of the vessel. Think of it as a tear of the inner lining of the sleeve of a jacket. If you filled the inner lining of your jacket with down it would block the real opening for your arm.  In the artery the blood goes into the opening of the tear of the dissection, expands the false channel, potentially blocking the flow of blood to the brain and resulting in stroke like symptoms.

Aneurysms and Vascular Tumors - Aneurysms are ballooning of the vessels that can either disturb normal blood flow or by their shape and size press on nearby tissues and cause related symptoms such as neck pain, pressure, nerve blockage, etc. Vascular tumors may be picked as the vessels that feed them are large enough to be seen on a CT angiogram.

A CT Angiogram of the Carotids will evaluate:

Internal Carotid Arteries

The carotid vessels arise from the aorta in the chest and travel up the neck along both sides. The vessels splits in the neck with the "internal" segments feeding roughly the front 2/3 of brain tissue. The "external" segments feed the face and parts of the scalp and skull.

Vertebral and Basilar Arteries

The basilar artery is made up by two vertebral arteries which arise from vessels in the chest and travel up along both sides of the neck near the spine. This vessel feeds the brain stem and approximately the back 1/3 of the brain.

Aortic Arch

Neck soft tissues

Parts of the soft tissues of the neck are seen in a CT angiogram of the carotids. Occasionally large tumors, inflammation or other findings can be picked up. 

Your CT Angiogram of the Carotids:

This CT scan generally takes about 15 minutes or so to set up and complete. This test is always done with IV MRI contrast. Keep in mind that the dye is injected at a much higher rate than a standard CT. Therefore a larger IV is used for this test. Many patients feel sudden flashes of heat and a metallic taste in their mouth. You may also feel sudden warmth in your bladder.

If you're insured, you may need to have your test authorized (approved) by your insurance company first. If you're uninsured and need to look up prices and buy an CT Angiogram of the carotids, you can use our website to look up CT Angiogram costs and then purchase with your credit card.

Have you had a Carotid CT Angiogram scan? What was it like? Please leave your comments below.

CT scans are frequently used to evaluate the bony structures of the cervical spine, also known as the upper neck. If you've injured your neck or have chronic neck pain, your doctor will probably first order an x-ray. After an x-ray, a CT scan may be needed to evaluate the bones and soft tissue structures of the cervical spine in more detail. On your doctor's order for the CT scan you might see:

"r/o disc disease" -  this refers to the discs that act as shock absorbers between the vertebral bodies of the spine. They can be injured or "flatten" over time and bulge out and press on nerve roots. The CT scan can detect these narrowings.

"r/o stenosis" - this refers to narrowing of the spinal canal and openings for the nerve roots. Bulging discs and other degenerative changes like osteophytes of the spine can narrow the spinal canal, causing neck pain or weakness. CT scans are very good at looking for osteophytes which are bony outgrowths from the spine.

"r/o fracture" - CT scans can pick up fractures of the cervical spine and look for subtle alignment changes. Alignment changes can be due to injuries to the stabilizing ligaments of the spine or related to long term degenerative disc disease.

(FYI - "r/o" is short for "rule out")

A CT scan of the cervical spine will evaluate:

Bones

A cervical spine CT scan will include the cervical vertebral bodies, lamina, facets, spinous process and parts of the upper thoracic spine and lower skull. The cervical spine CT scan can detect bone fractures, tumors, infection and evaluate post-surgical changes. An CT scan can also determine the extent of degenerative changes (arthritis) and be used for pre-operative planning for spinal fusion.

Discs

Cervical spine CT scans are can evaluate  the discs between your vertebral bodies. A cervical spine CT scan can detect disc flattening, bulges, herniations, and infection (aka discitis).

Spinal Canal and Neural Foramina

Spinal nerves arise from spinal cord and leave the spinal canal through holes called the neural foramina. The canal and these exit points can be blocked and cause neck, shoulder, arm, hand pain or weakness.

Cerebellum and Brain Stem

Parts of the lower brain including the cerebellum are seen. Some cerebellar conditions such as Chiari malformations can present with neck pain. The brain stem is continuous with the upper cervical spinal cord though usually not a cause of issues with the cervical spine. 

Soft Tissues

This refers to the muscles and tissues around your cervical spine. The cervical spine CT scan can detect infections, fluid collections and tumors of these structures.

Your Cervical Spine CT Scan

A cervical spine CT generally takes about 15 minutes or so to complete.  If you've had surgery or have a history of cancer, you may might have to have the test done with IV contrast.

If you're insured, you may need to have your test authorized (approved) by your insurance company first. If you're uninsured  use our website to look up CT scan of the cervical spine scan costs, find a certified imaging center and buy your test with a credit card.

Have you had a Cervical Spine CT scan? What was it like? Please leave your comments below.

CT scans are frequently used to evaluate the internal structures of the body. A variety of trends have increased the use of CT including new high resolution scanners that give greater anatomical detail and faster scanning time - scans that used to take minutes can now be done in seconds.

A CT scan of the Kidneys for stones is a CT scan test that specifically looks for stones in the Kidneys, Ureters and Bladder (therefore KUB). This scan is frequently done in the emergency room for patients with sudden onset sharp side and back pain who have blood in their urine. It's also ordered by outpatient doctors as well for similar symptoms. As an outpatient you may get an order from your doctor for:

"r/o renal stones" -  CT KUB is very good at picking up small and large calcified stones in the kidneys. It can also detect stones in the ureters which are small tubes that connect your kidneys (just under your rib cage) to your bladder (in the pelvis).

"h/o hematuria"- hematuria means blood in the urine. Stones can irritate the urinary drainage system leading to mild bleeding. The bleeding is usually detected on a urine lab test ("microscopic hematuria") or occasionally can present with obvious, visible bleeding ("gross hematuria").

"h/o flank pain" - renal stones occasionally cause dull or sharp pain along the sides of your lower chest and upper abdomen. Sometimes the pain can radiate to the pelvis and into the testicle or labia. This type of pain is can be seen with urinary medical issues.

(FYI - "r/o" is short for "rule out" and "h/o" is short for "history of")

An CT scan of the kidneys will evaluate:

Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder

A CT scan of the kidneys is designed to look for small (or large) stones that form in the kidneys and migrate into the ureters and bladder.

Liver, Gallbladder, Pancreas, etc

Since the CT scan includes nearby structures, many of the internal organs of the abdomen and pelvis will also be seen and can be evaluated. This includes the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, bowel loops, prostate, and uterus for example.

Your CT scan for stones:

Keep in mind that a CT scan for stones is actually two separate tests done together: a CT scan of the Abdomen and CT scan of the Pelvis. The test is usually done without IV dye contrast.

A CT scan of the stones takes about 5 minutes or so to complete once you're on the table. If you are going for one, wear loose comfortable clothing. If you're insured, you may need to have your test authorized (approved) by your insurance company first. If you're uninsured and need to look up prices and buy an CT scan of of the Kidneys (KUB) for stones, you can use our website. Click here to see CT scan costs.

Have you had a CT scan for stones? What was it like? Please leave your comments below.

When we first launched our site we knew that gaining the trust and confidence of health care consumers would be an important on-going task. Having relevant, meaningful blog posts and keeping the site safe and secure have always been a top priority. One of the key leading certifications for health care websites is offered by the Health on the Net Foundation, based in Geneva Switzerland:

The Health On the Net Foundation (HON) promotes and guides the deployment of useful and reliable online health information, and its appropriate and efficient use. Created in 1995, HON is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, accredited to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. For twelve years, HON has focused on the essential question of the provision of health information to citizens, information that respects ethical standards. To cope with the unprecedented volume of health care information available on the Net, the HONcode of conduct offers a multi-stakeholder consensus on standards to protect citizens from misleading health information.

We recently received HON certification after satisfying all of the requirements of the HON code of ethics and principles. We're excited to announce our achievement and will display the HON code throughout our site. Of course, we won't stop here. We'll continue to look hard at our site and look for ways to grow your trust and confidence in us and make shopping for Radiology tests such as MRI scans, CT scans, Ultrasounds, X-rays easy and safe.

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

We're adding nearly 600 additional Radiology centers throughout the U.S to our site over the next few weeks. It is a monumental task so please pardon our mess as we upgrade and clean up bugs!

You'll be able to shop and buy your Radiology tests from over 1500 imaging facilities. Each Radiology facility is accredited by the ACR, features American Board of Radiology certified Radiologists and has undergone a rigorous selection process.

We're adding 150 Radiology centers from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Washington DC over the next several days to our site. Please pardon our mess as we upgrade and clean up bugs!

You'll be able to shop and buy your Radiology tests from these facilities. As with our other Radiology facilities each is accredited by the ACR, features American Board of Radiology certified Radiologists and has undergone a rigorous selection process.

CT scans are frequently ordered by doctors to look for and follow a variety of diseases. Although insurance covers most of the cost, with the growth of high deductible plans, higher copays, and catastrophe-only coverage, U.S. patients are increasingly paying more out of pocket for their medical care. And over 47 million uninsured people are faced with the full cost of a CT scan if they need one.

CT prices are based on a number of factors:

• body part or parts being examined
  
• need for contrast/dye injection
  
• done at hospital or outpatient imaging center
• local competition
  

CT Scan prices vary widely online

If you are paying cash, you'll probably start searching for CT scan prices online. You'll find a wide range of prices $300 to $1500. On the low end of the scale, the scan may not include contrast (dye) and is only one part of the entire order. For example, if your doctor orders a CT scan of the Abdomen and Pelvis, he or she is actually ordering 2 tests. On the high end of the scale, you may be looking at what the facility "charges". That is, they determine the price based on what they get paid by insurance and then multiple that by 2 or 3. This pricing scheme is frequently used to calculate cash prices.

Negotiating CT scan prices

Negotiating prices for healthcare services can be time consuming and frustrating. Outpatient facilities that have a lot of local competition will be more willing to negotiate prices. Some will also split the cost into 2 or 3 payments. Hospitals are usually less willing to negotiate and start from a higher price point. Key things you need to ask:

1. Does the price include contrast?
2. Does the price include a copy of the films or a CD?
3. If I have to come back for additional images, are these included?
4. Is the facility ACR certified?
5. Is the Radiologist Board Certified?

In addition to doing online research and calling, fortunately there are a growing number of websites (like ours) that are working hard to make prices easy to find and help you understand what you're paying for.

FYI: You can look up our prices for CT scans here.

Have you tried shopping for an CT scan? How much did you pay? Did ask for and get a discount? Leave your comments below.