Stroke & Brain Emergencies

Distinguishing bleeding from a blocked vessel within minutes of arrival — the decision that determines whether clot-busting treatment can be given, and where time directly affects outcome.

Head Injury & Trauma

Skull fractures, brain contusions, and bleeding after injury, alongside whole-body trauma scans that assess chest, abdomen, pelvis, and spine in a single rapid acquisition.

Cancer Staging & Surveillance

Defining tumour size, local invasion, lymph node involvement, and distant spread, and measuring change across serial scans to judge whether treatment is working.

Acute Abdomen

Appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, perforation, diverticulitis, pancreatitis, and internal bleeding — often the investigation that determines whether surgery is needed tonight.

Kidney & Urinary Stones

Non-contrast CT is the most sensitive test for stones, showing size, exact position, and any obstruction of the kidney, which decides between conservative management and intervention.

Chest & Lung Disease

Pneumonia, lung nodules, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary embolism, with high-resolution protocols showing lung architecture in far greater detail than a chest X-ray.

Blood Vessels (CT Angiography)

Mapping arteries throughout the body without arterial puncture — aneurysms, blockages, dissections, and vascular anatomy for surgical or endovascular planning.

Bone & Complex Fractures

Fractures involving joint surfaces, spine, pelvis, and skull base where three-dimensional reconstruction guides operative planning far better than plain films.

Sinus & Temporal Bone Disease

Chronic sinusitis, nasal polyps, and middle and inner ear pathology, including pre-operative mapping for endoscopic sinus and ear surgery.

Booking & Preparation

Plain scans usually need no preparation. If contrast is planned you will be asked to fast for around four hours, and a recent kidney function test may be required. Tell us about diabetes medication, allergies, asthma, and any previous contrast reaction when booking.

Arrival & Consent

Metal items are removed from the area being scanned. For contrast studies a cannula is placed in a vein, and the procedure and its small risks are explained before you consent.

Positioning

You lie on a motorised couch that moves through the scanner. Unlike MRI, the CT gantry is a short open ring rather than a long tunnel, so it rarely troubles people who dislike enclosed spaces.

Contrast Injection (If Required)

Contrast is injected through the cannula, timed precisely to the scan. A warm flush through the body and a metallic taste are normal and pass within a minute — they are expected, not a reaction.

Scanning

The scan itself takes seconds to a couple of minutes. You will be asked to hold your breath briefly for chest and abdominal studies. It is painless and you remain awake throughout.

After the Scan

You can eat and resume normal activity immediately. If you have had contrast, drink plenty of water over the next day to help clear it. Reports are usually available the same day, and urgently where clinically needed.