Low Dose Screening CT for Early Detection of Lung Cancer

What is the procedure?

The purpose of this extremely sensitive CT exam is to detect lung cancer at a very early stage even before symptoms develop. A recent scientific study showed that this type of CT scan detects lung cancer at an earlier, more curable stage than conventional chest x-ray.

Our multislice high speed GE lightspeed™ CT scanner is capable of obtaining images six times faster than conventional CT and uses a lower dose of x-rays. Your exposure is only slightly more than a routine chest x-ray. During this exam a series of pictures is obtained to cover the full extent of the lungs.

The day of the exam:

The test is simple and requires no preparation.

During the exam:

During the test you lie on a table and hold your breath for approximately twenty seconds. After a few moments, when it is determined that the images are satisfactory, the exam is finished.

After the exam:
What if the test shows an abnormality?

Sometimes small shadows, or nodules, are found. These nodules are frequently benign. In order to make sure that they are not cancerous, follow-up CT examinations may be required.

How are my results reported?

A written report will be sent to your doctor. If required, additional work-up or follow-up examinations are coordinated by your doctor.

What if I recently had a normal chest x-ray?

Low dose screening chest CT is still valuable because it is much more sensitive than a chest x-ray. This means that the CT exam may find an early lung cancer that was not visible on the chest x-ray.