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CAT scan

Advancements in medical technology allow people to live longer and more fulfilling lives. It creates more chances and hope for the people who really need it. The technology that we have today saves millions of lives and as our technology gets better we can save millions more. The CAT scan is a futuristic example in our modern day life that really makes a difference in the medical field.



A Computerized Axial Tomography scan or CAT scan is a technology that provides a non invasive way of looking inside the body without cutting it open. Doctors are then able to diagnose a lot easier and are able to take more tests without causing the patient to suffer. Who knows how long you would survive you were being sliced open constantly so they can check something inside you, then stitch you up and repeat the process. Sounds a bit dangerous to me! CAT scans are able to see the soft tissues, organs, bones, and vessels with greater clarity than an x ray. Radiologists are then able to diagnose with the scans they see. It is a preferred method to diagnose cancer because they are able to pinpoint the location of the tumour as well as the size. CAT scans look like large boxes with a tunnel in the middle. The patient lies down in the tunnel, stays still and then pictures are taken. CAT scans are not a technology that has been around very long. The first one like it came to be in 1972 by a company called EMI. They were supported by The Beatles and because of that, they were given enough funding to finish the first model of the CAT scan that we know today. The idea however has been thrown up in the air for quite a long time now. In 1900 Alessandro Vallebona; and Italian radiologist proposed that there should be a way to study the human body by using a piece of radio graphic film to represent a slice of the human body. The actual CAT scan that we use today was invented by a British engineer named Sir Godfrey Hounsfield and Dr. Allen Cormack. They were awarded a Nobel Prize for this invention.

Ouu, so that’s how
The process of gathering this information is actually quite interesting. During a regular x-ray, let’s say at the dentist’s office. The x-ray machine is located in one location and targets an entire section. The process of the CAT scan is similar but there are differences. The x-ray portion of the machine does not stay in one location but instead revolves around the human body. This allows for the body to be seen in slices. The patient does have to keep very still for this process to be successful.

Suppositories should be considered to be invasive, very invasive

The CAT scan has many purposes all throughout the human body. It can take slices of the brain without actually taking slices. This can then detect things such as tumours and infarctions. It can detect fluid in the lungs as well as problems in the heart. Basically, it shows doctors whatever is in the body helping diagnostics figure out what is wrong with the patient. It then provides a greater chance for the patient’s survival. CAT scans also do this without putting the patient’s life in anymore harm then when the patient already came in. Why be cut up when you already have a brain tumour?

It’s never perfect

CAT scans still have adverse issues to deal with. During a CAT scan, the patient has to stay very still. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as smacking them in the head and telling them to stop moving, as you would for a child. Instead they have to deal with sedation. Each procedure has a different amount of sedation needed to keep the patient still for the required amount of time. Sometimes these amounts of sedation may not be good for the body. The radiation given off by the machine is also a problem; giving controversies that it may give cancer. To be honest, almost everything in this world seems like it gives cancer nowadays.
And to sum it all up
CAT scans seem pretty futuristic if you think about it. It’s an x-ray scanner that lets you see a person’s tomography. Doctors from the past would have killed to have the technology we have in our day. The advancements in medical technology have saved many lives and it’s amazing to see how far we have gotten. To think of way back in medical history when people thought drilling holes in their head would relieve the pressure from headaches. Now we have ways to prevent cancer and lessen its effects. These advancements are great to society and pave a great future for more advancement in the medical field. The CAT scan is just one advancement in medicine today. Every day we are closer and closer to more and more breakthroughs. These breakthroughs may end up saving your life one day.




http://healthinmotion.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/ct-scans-causing-cancer-in-patients/
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/08/22/is-a-catscan-but-onlee-duz-greyscale/
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/ct_scan/article_em.htm
http://health.howstuffworks.com/cat-scan.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153201.php