This special x-ray machine takes pictures that look different from ordinary x-rays.  It takes lots of pictures of your body, a bit like slices of bread.  The test is done to show up your body parts, using x-rays and a computer.

Danny has been having bad headaches.  His doctor wants him to have a CT test to find out why.

Dad stays beside him as he lies down on a narrow table.  He has to stay very still as the table moves through a short tunnel.  The doctor calls it the ‘Doughnut’.  This is the CT machine.  Danny sees a light on the top that moves about and it also makes a noise like a washing machine!

 As Danny slides through the hole in the ‘Doughnut’, pictures are taken of his head with special cameras inside the machine.  The Radiographer takes lots of pictures, one after the other.

 When she has finished, the pictures come up on a computer screen.  They tell the x-ray doctor if anything is wrong right inside Danny’s head.  Danny thinks they look like strange photographs of the moon.

Parent Points

You can stay with your child during the CT (Computer Tomography) test, but you must wear a protective apron.  The test takes about 15 minutes and shows much more details than ordinary x-rays.  However, preparing for the study may take longer depending upon the part of the body being scanned.