CT abdomen wth prolonged oral preparaton Informaton for patents Radology
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What s a CT abdomen scan wth prolonged oral preparaton? CT s a short way of sayng Computed Tomography. An abdomnal CT scan wth prolonged oral preparaton s a specalsed test to look specfcally at your large bowel. It can also look at all your abdomnal organs at the same tme. Images are taken n 'slces' through your abdomen. These mages can then be put together to create a 3D pcture of your abdomen and bowel. What does a CT scanner look lke? A CT scanner looks lke a gant polo mnt. It s crcular wth a large hole n the mddle and s open at both ends. Durng the scan you wll be asked to le on the scan table. The table wll move n and out of the scanner as t takes the mages. page 3 of 16
Why do I need a CT scan? You wll have recently seen your doctor about a medcal problem who should have dscussed ther reason for wantng a CT scan of your abdomen. Some reasons nclude: Abdomnal pan Altered bowel habts Unexplaned weght loss Loss of blood/anaema. You may have nconclusve or faled tests such as a barum enema or colonoscopy. Or your consultant may feel that you are unable to tolerate these tests. A CT scan produces very detaled mages of your abdomen and may help provde extra nformaton about your condton. If you are unsure why the scan s necessary, t s best to talk to your doctor who wll have all your detals. Wll I need any specal preparaton for the scan? You wll need specal preparaton for ths scan so that your large bowel can be vsualsed well on the scan. When you book your CT scan appontment you wll be gven a bottle of Omnpaque (an X-ray dye whch hghlghts your bowel). A Radology nurse wll dscuss the preparaton wth you and answer any queres you may have. The preparaton should be started 2 days before the CT scan appontment. The bottle of Omnpaque wll contan enough dye to make 5 portons of the drnk. Dlute 10mls of Omnpaque n 250mls of water (1 porton). page 4 of 16
Drnk a porton of the flud every 12 hours untl all 5 have been taken. Example: 2 days before scan: mornng (7.00am) - dlute 10mls of Omnpaque n 250mls of water, drnk full amount (1st porton) afternoon (7.00pm) - drnk 2nd porton 12 hours later 1 day before scan: mornng (7.00am) - drnk 3rd porton afternoon (7.00pm) - drnk 4th porton Day of scan mornng (7.00am) - 5th (fnal) porton attend for scan 30 mnutes before appontment tme to drnk extra 1 ltre of flud What wll happen when I arrve? On arrval n the Radology department you wll need to book n at the man recepton. You wll have been asked to arrve 30 mnutes before your appontment tme. A clncal assstant or radographer wll collect you and take you to prepare for your scan. As well as the preparaton you have had at home, you wll be asked to drnk another ltre of flud mmedately before the scan. Your co-operaton s mportant and drnkng the full amount of the preparaton drnk helps the Radologst to nterpret the scan and wll help gve more accurate results. page 5 of 16
Wll I need an njecton? You wll requre an njecton of X-ray contrast (dye) whch s a lqud that hghlghts your blood vessels and organs on the scan and helps gve more nformaton. Who performs my scan? The person who carres out the scan s called a radographer. They wll explan your procedure thoroughly when you come for your appontment. A radologst (a doctor specally traned n lookng at X-rays) wll nterpret the scan and send the results to your doctor. What wll happen durng the scan? When t s tme for your scan you wll be asked to change nto a hosptal gown, you wll then be asked to le on the scanner table. You wll requre an njecton of X-ray dye. The radographer wll go through the questonnare you have been asked to complete, to ensure that t s safe to gve you the njecton. A small needle (cannula) wll be placed nto your arm to allow the X-ray dye to be admnstered durng the scan. The X-ray dye wll not be njected straght away, the radographer wll need to do some plannng scans frst but wll warn you when the dye s beng njected. The radologst (doctor) revewng your scan may feel that t would be benefcal to nflate your bowel wth ar durng the scan. Ths nvolves a very small rubber tube beng nserted nto your back passage whlst ar s gently pumped n. Ths should not be a panful experence and wll only be performed f the radologst feels that t wll provde valuable nformaton that may otherwse be mssed on the scan. However, f you strongly object to havng ths part of the test performed the rest of the scan can stll be carred out. page 6 of 16
You wll be scanned several tmes, durng whch you wll move n and out of the scanner. For each scan you wll be asked to hold your breath for up to 15 seconds. It s mportant that you hold your breath and keep stll as the moton from breathng and movng causes blurrng and can run the scan pctures. The CT scanners we use are very fast modern scanners. What happens after the scan? Once the scan s complete you wll be asked to return to the cubcle to change. As you have been gven the njecton of X-ray dye durng the scan you wll be asked to wat n the department for an extra 15 mnutes, the cannula wll be left n your arm. Ths s so that we can montor you to make sure the effects from the njecton have worn off and that you feel alrght before you leave. Once your cannula has been removed by a member of the CT staff, pressure wll need to be appled to the ste to prevent brusng. You wll then be able to leave the department. Be careful not to knock the njecton area once you have left the department, partcularly f you take asprn or warfarn as ths can cause the njecton area to bleed agan. If bleedng occurs apply pressure to the area usng a clean cloth or gauze to stop the bleedng and reduce any brusng. The njecton of X-ray dye causes no known effects on the ablty to drve or operate machnery. However due to the rsk of reacton (see rsk secton below), patents are advsed not to drve or operate machnery for one hour after the njecton. page 7 of 16
How long does t take? The scan tself wll take approxmately 20 mnutes. Please be aware that you wll be asked to arrve 30 mnutes earler to drnk the flud before the scan. You wll be asked to wat n the department for an extra 15 mnutes after the scan. You should antcpate beng n the department for 1½ - 2 hours. Due to the nature of our workload we often have to perform emergency scans whch must be prortsed. Whlst we try to keep to appontment tmes ths may occasonally cause slght delays wth routne appontments. We thank you for your patence. Are there any rsks? There are a few rsks nvolved wth a CT scan. They nclude: Radaton - A CT scan uses radaton n the form of X-rays. The amount of radaton used s more than for an ordnary x-ray of the same area but s equal to the amount of natural radaton from the atmosphere we all receve over a few years. Ths adds very slghtly to the rsk, for example of developng a cancer, but ths rsk s very small. The amount of radaton s kept to a mnmum to reduce ths rsk and a CT scan s consdered a safe procedure. The effectve dose for an abdomnal CT scan s 10 msv whch s equvalent to 4.5 years of background radaton for an adult and ths may ncrease your lfetme rsk of cancer by 0.02%. Your doctor has chosen ths test for good reason and feels that the beneft of havng the CT scan s greater than the rsk from the radaton. Radaton, pregnancy and women of chldbearng age - If you are of chld bearng age and are stll havng regular perods we need to know the dates of your last menstrual perod. As ths s a CT scan to nclude your abdomen and pelvs we need to ensure that the frst page 8 of 16
day of your last perod s wthn 10 days of the scan. Ths s to ensure that we do not mstakenly rradate a foetus/unborn baby. You may be asked to book the CT appontment to concde wth these dates, however f you attend for your scan and are outsde of these dates you wll be asked to take a pregnancy test to ensure you are not pregnant. Ths s precautonary, but for safety and legal reasons must be done. X-rays can be harmful to your unborn baby, t s mportant to tell the CT staff f you are or thnk you may be pregnant. Reacton to the njectons - The X-ray dye used for ths test contans odne and t does have some natural sde effects, whch are: Hot flush Metallc taste n the mouth Sensaton of passng water These usually pass wthn a few mnutes. We take every precauton to ensure that you wll have no adverse effect from the njecton, however very occasonally (n less than 0.03% of page 9 of 16
cases) patents can have an allergc reacton to the dye. Ths can manfest tself as an tchy rash, shortness of breath and, n extremely rare cases, swellng of the throat and other body parts. A reacton to the X-ray dye usually occurs wthn mnutes of the njecton, however on rare occasons a reacton may not occur untl you have left the scannng department. If you experence a reacton after you have left the department do not hestate to contact your GP or the local A&E department To prevent the occurrence of an allergc reacton, please nform staff of any allerges you may have. Asthma - On rare occasons the X-ray dye can brng on an asthma attack, f you are asthmatc please remember to brng your nhalers wth you. Kdney functon - The X-ray dye njecton can cause your kdneys to work more slowly, ths s only a problem f you already suffer wth kdney problems. If you have not had a recent blood test you wll need to have one before the scan to check your kdneys are workng properly. You should only requre a blood test f you are dabetc and takng Metformn (Glucophage), have exstng kdneys problems or are aged 65 or over. Your doctor wll organse ths for you. Dependng on these blood results you may need to be hydrated before and after the scan. Ths can nvolve drnkng 1 ltre of water before and after the scan or you may need to come nto hosptal and be put on a drp for a few hours before and after the scan. Once we receve your blood test results you wll be nformed f ths s necessary for you. The short questonnare you have been asked to complete provdes nformaton to help reduce the rsk of an allergc reacton and medcal problems. Please remember to complete ths and hand t n when you attend for your scan. page 10 of 16
Shall I contnue takng my medcaton? Yes, contnue takng any medcaton unless you are advsed otherwse. If you are dabetc and takng Metformn you may need to stop takng ths. If you are dabetc and takng Metformn please contact the CT scannng department as soon as possble. Our telephone number s provded on your appontment letter. When wll I get my results? We cannot gve you your results straght away as the radologst wll need tme to revew your scan pctures n detal. Your results wll be sent to the doctor who referred you for the scan. You may have an outpatent appontment booked wth your doctor at whch you can dscuss the results of the scan. If you do not have an appontment booked you wll be sent one once your doctor has receved the results. Are there any alternatve tests? Your doctor has referred you for a CT scan because they feel that ths s the best test for you however, f you feel unhappy about havng a CT scan there may be alternatve tests that you can have. You wll need to dscuss these wth the doctor who arranged for you to have the scan. What f I stll have some questons? After readng ths leaflet, f you want to know more or have any concerns you can contact the doctor who referred you for the scan, the CT scannng department or you can ask the radographer when you arrve for the scan. If you cannot make your appontment, or have any queres, please contact the CT scannng department. Our telephone number s provded on your appontment letter. page 11 of 16
Alternatvely you can emal: Jenny.Brathwate@sth.nhs.uk CT & MRI Manager Sheffeld Teachng Hosptals page 12 of 16
Notes page 13 of 16
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SERVICE ROAD C MEDICAL SCHOOL DAY CASE CENTRE ROYAL HALLAMSHIRE HOSPITAL B ROAD THEATRE ADMISSIONS DIABETES CENTRE OUTPATIENTS DEPARTMENT Royal Hallamshre Hosptal CRESCENT CLAREMONT PALMERSTON ROAD NORTHUMBERLAND ROAD SHEARWOOD ROAD CLAREMONT PLACE TREE ROOT WALK WALK-IN CENTRE UNIT GUM CLINIC MULTI STOREY CAR PARK GLOSSOP ROAD A ROAD 1 2 3 Medcal Imagng (C Floor) BEECH HILL ROAD page 15 of 16
Northern General Hosptal P Car Park P North Lane SouthLane Central Way Medcal Imagng (Vckers Corrdor) Central Lane Clock Tower Chesterman Wng Sheffeld Kdney Inst. Frth Wng Herres Road Entrance Parkng P P Car Park 15 P Publc Car parks (Pay & Dsplay) Out Patents 2 Herres Road Drve Herres Sorby Wng Road Vckers Corrdor Huntsman Buldng P Day Surgery Unt Car Park D P Car Park E Brearley Wng Brearley Drve Hadfeld Wng P Huntsman Drve Barnsley Road Drve Car Park A Frvale Way 15 Barnsley Road Barnsley Road Entrance Dsabled Parkng Spaces (Free Parkng) Frvale Pedestran Entrance Produced wth support from Sheffeld Hosptals Charty Workng hard to fund mprovements that make lfe better for patents and ther famles Please donate to help us do more www.sheffeldhosptalscharty.org.uk Regstered Charty No 1059043 Alternatve formats may be avalable on request. Please emal: alternatveformats@sth.nhs.uk Sheffeld Teachng Hosptals NHS Foundaton Trust 2016 Re-use of all or any part of ths document s governed by copyrght and the Re-use of Publc Sector Informaton Regulatons 2005 SI 2005 No.1515. Informaton on re-use can be obtaned from the Informaton Governance Department, Sheffeld Teachng Hosptals. Emal nfogov@sth.nhs.uk PD5909-PIL2218 v5 Issue Date: May 2016. Revew Date: May 2018