What are the dangers of using enhanced CT?

With the continuous development of modern social economy, medical standards are constantly improving. In the medical field, the use of enhanced CT is becoming more and more widespread. Compared with ordinary CT, enhanced CT can provide clearer diagnosis and detect lesions earlier, so more people choose enhanced CT. However, it certainly has certain hazards of its own. Next, let us understand the dangers of enhanced CT.

The role of enhanced CT examination

The purpose of enhanced scanning is to improve the detection rate of tumor staging in cases where lesions, especially small lesions, have been confirmed to be malignant tumors. Through enhanced scanning, the degree of enhancement of the lesion and the substance or surrounding tissue is often inconsistent, and the density difference between the two is large, which can be used to discover lesions that were missed during plain scanning. On plain scan, these lesions appear isodense or have very little density difference, or cannot be distinguished from the cross-sectional shadows of blood vessels. Practice has shown that there are many examples of small lesions, especially solid masses, in solid organs such as the brain, liver, pancreas, spleen, and kidneys that appear equal in density on plain scan images. Relying solely on plain scans is bound to lead to missed diagnoses and is not advisable.

Improve the ability to characterize lesions. CT plain scan not only has a low detection rate, but also has limited ability to characterize and differentiate lesions. Dynamic enhanced scanning can improve the ability to characterize lesions based on the presence, degree, pattern or type of enhancement, and it is not difficult to make a qualitative diagnosis for typical cases. Accuracy, or judging how likely a tumor is to be surgically resectable.

Dynamic enhanced scanning is indispensable for the diagnosis and display of vascular lesions; enhanced scanning is also important for the differentiation of vascular and non-vascular lesions, such as the differentiation of blood vessels and small lymph nodes. It is often difficult to differentiate between lymph nodes and blood vessels in the hilum, neck, pelvis and other parts of the body. Through enhanced scanning, the density difference between high-density blood vessels and unclearly enhanced lymph nodes increases, making them easy to distinguish.

Risks of enhanced CT scans

The non-ionic iodinated contrast agents used in CT enhanced examinations are highly safe and generally do not cause drug reactions. However, a very small number of patients may experience adverse reactions such as allergies and renal damage due to their specific physical constitutions or various unforeseen reasons. A very small number of severe cases may be life-threatening, which is difficult to predict with modern medical means.

Allergic reactions usually occur within 20 minutes after injection. You should leave the hospital 30 minutes after the examination. If the above-mentioned contrast agent risks occur, you should inform your doctor in time. If you feel unwell after leaving the hospital, you should seek treatment at the nearest hospital as soon as possible.

If adverse reactions to CT enhanced examination occur, the doctor will actively take appropriate measures, and the patient's family should understand and cooperate.

If my body position is incorrect or I do not follow the doctor's instructions during the enhanced CT examination, it may affect the examination results.

From this point of view, CT enhanced examination should be chosen wisely.

Patients with serious heart disease/heart failure/liver and kidney failure/diabetes/asthma/hyperthyroidism, the elderly, those with allergies, or those who are overly nervous and anxious are at high risk for enhanced CT examinations. They should fully inform their physician and undergo careful evaluation before the examination and should be accompanied by family members or clinicians, especially in night shift emergency situations.

Due to the complexity of the disease and the limitations of imaging examinations, it is still possible that a clear diagnosis cannot be made after CT enhancement examination.