Lung CT Scan

[Ratatosk]

Has anyone ever had one of these? Doctor wants DS to have one in a couple of months. Nurse called yesterday to tell us it takes about 30 minutes total -- the scan will take about 15 minutes. Wondered if DS will be able to stay still that long or else they might have to sedate him. He's usually pretty good about listening to people -- was GREAT the last time he had blood work and was examined by the dentist.

Years ago I had a sinus CT scan. Just wondering what this all entails. Liza

 

[NoExcuses]

Yup. Super easy to do.

Just like a sinus CT scan. Same thing, just different part of the body <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[folione]

My son w/CF is 3 years old and had a chest and sinus CT July 19. It was done right after he had a PICC line inserted so he was still woozy from sedation. If he had not been sedated, I doubt he could have stayed still and not fussed about the CT procedure.

The machine they used was a giant donut-shaped thing and my boy had to lay strapped to a small table with arms held to his side and with foam blocks holding his head still. When the machine started up, the table moved back and forth into the donut. The inner part of the donut spins around and there is light and sound (about comparable to a fast fan running). Given that all of this is happening in a somewhat dark room full of machinery I can't imagine a typical tot staying still for it without at least a dose of benadryl to quiet him/her down. Both I and my spouse were allowed to stand next to him but could not hold his hands because they had to be kept out of the way when things were moving.

It was fairly quick to run the scan, but he had to stay put for a tough 15 minutes afterwards while the technician/nurse waited for the Radiology Dr. to come by and look at it. The boy was waking up by then and pretty antsy to get out.

 

[anonymous]

I looked at the hospital radiology website and it did mention that sometimes they use sedation. His doctor thought he'd be okay and would be able to stay still. It's a Children's Hospital, so they're used to dealing with little guys. Closer to the appointment, I figure we'll contact them and see if they suggest sedating and if so, we may want to schedule an earlier appointment.

 

[Ratatosk]

Whoops, that was me. Also, for those who had CTs, was it a straight CT scan or was there anything dealing with contrast involved -- ivs or inhaling a radioactive isotope?

 

[Scarlett81]

I had one last month on my lungs, and last year on my sinuses.

Its very helpful to see the lungs from a Cat b/c the doc can see so much more. Mine from last month showed that all my extra chest PTs have paid off b/c I got rid of some deep plugs. Ironically it also showed I have kidney stones, so they can be very helpful in a few areas!

Its no big deal at all! And I think its awesome that your doc is doing it, instead of just going by the typical X-ray.

 

[anonymous]

My boy's CT was with no inhaled or ingested stuff. You mentioned your hospital being a children's hospital and thus not concerned about age. My son's CT was at Children's National Medical Center in Washington DC and they said most kids his age (3) end up needing some sedation. However, if he had not had to have the PICC line at the same time and already been sedated, we would have at least given it a try with no sedation.

 

[Ratatosk]

Last spring the doctor brought it up at our last appointment. Mentioned he thought DS would be old enough to have this. Mentioned less radiation than a standard xray and that it was a better way to view the small airways. He also mentioned something about inhaling a radioactive isotope via a nebulizer, but didn't see a reference to that on the hospital web site.

I'm just more comfortable with the Children's Hospital because we've been there before and figure they're used to dealing with children. They'll let us know if they think they'll need to sedate him and we can adjust our schedule accordingly. Get an earlier appointment if we're going to have to withold food. We've had a postive experience with them in the past. They've got teeny tiny equipment for little guys, pictures on the ceiling and walls. Whereas xrays and ultrasounds at the local hospital are a nightmare because one of us usually ends up holding DS down and then he thrashes around so much, they never EVER get an accurate reading.

 

[folione]

I just noticed that I was not logged in when I made that "anonymous" reply at 12:31pm. It was from "Folione".

 

[thelizardqueen]

Its super easy to do. I had one done for the first time 2 months ago. You just lie there and take deep breaths and hold it while they do the scan. Mine took a total of 15 minutes.