A health care provider is reviewing brain imaging scans with a senior patient.

Focused Imaging that Enhances Your Care.

CT Scan

The latest CT scan technology, close to home.

Computerized tomography, or CT scan, is an advanced X-ray that provides detailed images of your bones and organs. While a traditional X-ray uses a non-moving machine to focus on a specific part of your body, a CT scan machine moves around your body to provide an in-depth view.

Schedule Your Imaging Appointment.

Charlotte

Call to schedule or get help with scheduling imaging in the Charlotte area.

704-384-7226

Rowan County

Call to schedule or get help with scheduling imaging in the Rowan County area.

704-210-7762

Wilmington

Call to schedule or get help with scheduling imaging in the Wilmington area.

910-667-8777

Winston-Salem

Call to schedule or get help with scheduling imaging in the Winston-Salem area.

855-794-9729

What a CT Scan Is Used to Diagnose

A CT scan helps diagnose a variety of conditions, including:

Bone damage
Internal organ injury
Vein or blood flow problems
Stroke
Cancer

CT scans also help your care team adjust your care plan as needed through:

Monitoring a known condition and how well treatment is working
Insight on what further tests or treatments you may need

For example, a CT scan can clarify the location, size, and shape of a tumor before and during cancer treatment.

Specialty CT Scans

Heart

CT cardiac scoring (also called a cardiac scoring test) and heart CT scan (also called CT angiography, coronary CTA, CT coronary angiogram, and cardiac CT scan) are two specialized CT scans at Novant Health. These exams evaluate your risk for heart conditions by checking the health of your blood vessels and flow.

Your doctor may recommend one of these exams if you:

Are older than 45 (men) or 55 (women) years old and
Have higher risk for artery thickening due a history of tobacco use and/or high:
- Cholesterol
- Blood pressure
- Blood sugar

Lung

A chest CT scan can be a powerful lung cancer screening method. CT lung cancer screening involves low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). This chest CT can help provide an early lung cancer diagnosis, before you even have symptoms. This is important because the earlier cancer is found, the easier it is to treat.

Your doctor may recommend CT lung cancer screening if you’re at higher risk for lung cancer due to factors like the following, even if you are currently relatively healthy:

50 to 80 years old
History of smoking at least 20 packs of cigarettes a year
Still smoking or quit within the last 15 years

What to Expect

Mature man sitting at a table reading the label on his medication bottle.

Remove anything that could have metal in it, including dentures, wigs, hearing aids, jewelry, belts, zips, hooks, buckles, hair ornaments, watches, studs, keys, and coins.
Wear loose, comfortable clothes. You may be asked to wear a hospital gown during your exam.
Follow any other instructions from your care team on how to prepare, including if you need to change your eating, drinking, or medication habits.

A health care provider is assisting a woman as she is laying down with her arms above her head in an imaging machine.

While a CT scan itself only takes a few minutes, the entire procedure usually takes about an hour.

If needed, your care team gives you contrast material.
You lie very still on your back on a table.
The table moves slowly into the CT scanner.
While your images are taken, your care team may ask you to hold your breath for a few seconds.
The table moves back out of the CT scan machine.

A young woman is sitting in an exam room talking with a nurse. As she talks, she has placed her hand over her chest.

Talk to your care team if you have a fear of being in enclosed spaces (claustrophobia).
Unless your care team tells you otherwise, you will not need to recover — you can go about your normal activities as usual right after the exam.

A man and his pregnant partner are sitting on their couch together reviewing information on a tablet.

Tell your care team if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or are breastfeeding. They may suggest a different exam, such as an MRI or ultrasound.

A Novant Health nurse is holding paperwork as she explains information to a patient.

It is important that you keep your scheduled imaging appointment. If you will be late due to an emergency, please call our scheduling team as soon as possible to cancel or reschedule.

Bring the following documents to your appointment:

Referral form from your doctor
Current insurance card
Contact information
Payment (if applicable)

Be sure to take advantage of Novant Health’s many free healthcare cost planning resources, including financial navigators.

A health care provider is reviewing an x-ray while talking on the phone.

A radiologist will review your medical images and report their findings to your doctor 24 to 72 hours after your exam. Your doctor will contact you to discuss your results.

Take advantage of Novant Health MyChart to:

View your imaging results as soon as they’re available
Contact your doctor
Schedule appointments

For Your Safety

It's possible you may be given a contrast solution for this exam. This helps make your images as clear as possible. If a contrast solution is needed, it's possible you may:

Be given the solution through an injection or intravenous line (IV)
Need to adjust your eating and drinking habits before the exam
Have some mild side effects

When contrast is needed, it's possible the scan could have more risk for certain people. Make sure your care team knows:

If you have any allergies at all, especially to iodine or contrast solution
Your long-term and recent medical history
Any medications or supplements you take

Allergic reactions are extremely rare. If you do have a reaction, our expert providers are trained to provide the help you need.

A healthcare provider is resting her hand on a patients shoulder as she is talking and preparing her for an imaging scan.

Your Well-Being Is Our Priority.

If you have any anxiety about your imaging procedure, reach out to your care team. Novant Health's experienced providers are ready to listen and help put you at ease.

Find Imaging Centers Near You.

The care team referring you for imaging may help you set up your appointment at a particular location. You can also choose to schedule your imaging appointment at the imaging center most convenient to you. Visit individual imaging center websites to learn which specific types of imaging are offered at or to schedule at that location.

Referring a Patient?

If you're a referring physician or healthcare professional, we can help you find the right specialist, programs and services for your patient.