If you are suffering from some type of digestive disorder, your doctor may request a variety of different tests to help him or her find the problem. Blood tests are often used in the preliminary stages of diagnosis, but if these do not reveal enough, your doctor might suggest an abdominal CT scan. Here are several things to know about CT scans.

What is a CT scan?

CT stands for computed tomography, and this type of scan is used to produce images of the internal parts of your body. It is similar to an MRI in certain ways, but CT scans are often used instead of MRIs for a variety of reasons.

Getting a CT scan does not hurt, but it does require that you lie still during the entire test. You may even be told to hold your breath during it, because any movement you make could blur the results. The test will show your doctor images of each of the organs in your digestive system, and it will also show your bones, tissue, and blood vessels.

The test itself does not usually take a long time, but it can be slightly uncomfortable. Before you go to your test, your doctor will explain how you should prepare. This may include fasting for a short period of time, or it may involve other steps.

What conditions will it reveal?

There are many types of digestive issues you could have, and a CT scan is capable of helping a doctor find many of these. These include infections in your body, tumors or growths, hernias, swelling in areas, and stones in your kidneys or gallbladder. As the doctor looks at the images produced through the scan, he or she will hopefully be able to find out what is causing your digestive issues.

If this test does not reveal any problems at all, your doctor may want to perform other tests, or the doctor might suggest waiting to see if your symptoms continue. Finding digestive issues is not always an easy task, primarily because there are so many different organs involved in the digestive system process, but it is possible.

If you are tired of dealing with the digestive issues you are having, you should visit a doctor. Your doctor may be able to find the problem without performing major tests; however, he or she may suggest using a CT scan if the problem is difficult to find.