Question about CT Scans

[Faith in Him]

Do CT scans show any information about the bones? Just curious. I thought someone once told me they do.

A bone scan was not ordered for me when I had my local recurrance and now I am wondering if I should request one.

Thanks
Tonya

[Karen W]

Tonya,

I did the following google search: ct for detecting bone mets and the information provided said that ct scans are good for detecting bone mets, especially those missed by a bone scan.

You may want to google the same information in and see what you think, but if I am reading the information correctly then, yes, a ct does detect bone mets.

Karen

[Faith in Him]

Oh, thank you Karen. I feel better now. I always forget about google searches.

[PinkGirl]

Hi Faith

I've had a CT scan to check for mets in
my ribs.

[Karen W]

Tonya,

I live in Northern California. I wonder if we live close enough to meet? I know that Lexi lives here in North cal, too.

Karen

[Bill]

Hi Tonya, here's my 2 cents worth, and all I know about it. When my wife, Nicola, had CT scans done, it was for specific areas, i.e.-chest, abdomen, pelvic area. She drank the barium, had the dye? injected and had the scan. They never Ct'ed her whole body. When she had bone scans, they injected the dye, we had to wait 2 hours, and then the bone scan illuminated her whole skeletal system, so we looked at it like even if you have an unsuspected met in your little toe, it would show up. I just don't know if they CT scan your whole body that way if they already know where the cancer is, I don't know, maybe they can and do. But with the bone scan, I was able to sit right there with the tech. as the scan was done, and see the whole skeleton on the computer screen. Hope I made some kind of sense. I guess we just felt reassured having different types of testing done. Thoughts and prayers to you, Bill

[AlaskaAngel]

http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu/resources/article.cfm?c=3&s=38&ss=222&id=959

... "Let’s take a look at the amount of radiation a particular organ receives with common radiologic studies. An x-ray at the dentist’s office results in the brain receiving 0.005 milligrays (or mGy- the measurement used to describe radiation doses). A routine chest x-ray results in the lung receiving 0.01 mGy, while a mammogram gives 3 mGy to the breast. An abdominal CT scan gives the stomach 10 mGy. In a baby, the exposure level is 20 mGy- 100-200 times the amount of radiation received with a typical x-ray.

But there is more. One study reported that almost all patients undergoing a CT of the abdomen or pelvis had more than one scan taken. Perhaps it was because the film quality was not good enough or the person moved during the scan, but whatever the reason, this results in multiple doses of radiation."

[Sherryg683]

I have never had a bone scan done. I have had CT's and PET's, they have been full body scans. I questioned my oncologist about it several times and he said the above would pick up bone mets. Being the doubter that I am, I then asked the guy who runs the CT/PET machines and does my scans the same thing. He also said that CT's or PET's would pick up bone mets...sherryg

[chrisy]

A CT will show abnormalities in bones, including degenerative disease aka arthritis or getting old! I've had things show up and followed up with a bone scan to clarify what was causing it (in my case, it was "getting old" which is after all the whole point).

[hermiracles]

Hello friends ~ I don't want to scare anyone but I had a ct scan straight after my surgery (bilateral mastectomey) in Sept 07 ~ which came back all clear. It scanned pelvis, abdomen & chest.
By Oct I was in hospital with a fractured neck of femur - where they discovered cancer cells and when a bone scan was done they also discovered 'spots' on my spine - so there was a lot that the CT scan did not pick up.
Im going to ask for a PET scan next time I see my Onc (though apparently they are hard to get here in Australia) - because as I understand it CT scans can pick up changes in shape or mass but the PET scan can pick up cell activity. I think thats the case - still learning about all of this.
Blessings all
Hermiracles