CAT SCAn..???

whats a CAT scan??? please no difficult words
and is it really a picture of your brain??

CT scan is a type of x-ray that takes cross-sectional images of your body (basically, takes many images of a certain part of the body and puts it together to form a picture).

CT scan's are used to view structures as well as anatomy of whatever part of the body it's scanning. So, a CT of the head will be able to see the skull and inner anatomy of the skull - or the brain.

If you're getting a CT scan, chances are they are looking for some type of structural change or difference in the brain anatomy. They will be able to view it almost like it were in the palm of their hand. They can change angles, zoom in - and zoom out. They can also focus on a certain part if they find something interesting.

It usually takes a few minutes from start to finish - sometimes longer if you move. You have to be perfectly still in order to get a good CT scan - otherwise they have to re-scan you all over again. If you move, the images come out blurred - almost like a blurred photo when someone in the picture moves just as you were snapping the picture.

It doesn't hurt and you won't feel it.

Take care.

It takes pics of your brain, its noisy though u need ear plugs and lets hope your not claustrophobic, your in like a tube shape cell for about 30 minutes.

A CAT SCAN IS A HIGH POWERED XRAY OF A PART OF YOUR BODY.SOMETIMES YOU MAY HAVE TO DRINK SOME KIND OF CHALKY LIKE STUFF BEFORE YOU HAVE IT AND SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO SHOOT DYE THROUGH YOUR VEINS TO MAKE THE PICTURE SHOW UP BETTER.

It takes multiple pictures of internal organs, bone, soft tissue and blood vessels and yes the brain. Depending on what part it is taking a picture of you may have to either have a dye injected into your or swollow some barium contrast. I had one done to figure out how many fractures I have in my shoulder. A normal x-ray only showed one but with a cat scan it found a total of 3.

Yes, it is one way to have a look inside, and they may inject a "dye" into your bloodstream for better imaging. MRI's are another method to get a picture of the inside of your head.
Don't be scared, it's painless, and WAY better than opening you up by the knife!