Enterography CT scan
Enterography CT is essentially used for detailed examination of the small intestine. The examination can help reveal the cause of the narrowing of the small intestine, its inflammatory and cancerous processes.
The surrounding organs also come into view during the examination, but targeted imaging examinations are needed to accurately diagnose their lesions.
The CT device breaks down the body part to be examined into image slices a few millimetres in size, and then maps these slices by emitting x-rays. These x-rays pass through the body and are absorbed differently in each tissue and organ. The rays passing through the tissues are captured by the x-ray detector, and the signals thus obtained are converted into an image by the computer. With the help of the examination, cancerous and pathological lesions, bleeding, internal injuries, and inflammations can also be seen.
As the CT scan involves radiation, a specialist consultation is always required before the scan, where the physician will consider whether the scan is necessary based on the symptoms. Due to radiation exposure, a CT scan should only be performed based on a medical recommendation.
What types of diseases does enterography CT scan help diagnose?
Enterography CT can be used to diagnose inflammations and tumours. Your doctor may request an examination if you have the following conditions.
- intestinal stenosis
- inflammatory processes
- tumorous diseases
In case of which symptoms is it recommended to have the scan performed?
Your doctor may consider a scan if you have local pain, blood in your stools or digestive problems.
How to prepare for an enterography CT examination?
In all cases, the treating physician should be consulted prior to the examination, as CT scans should only be performed with a medical referral due to radiation exposure.
Patients receive about 1.5 litres of fluid one hour before the scan, into which 2 dl of high osmolarity fluid is added in order to fill the small intestine with fluid, a negative contrast agent, which allows a more accurate assessment of the small intestine. Our colleague will inform you about the schedule of this, please follow it exactly in all cases! Large amounts of fluid ingested may later cause harmless diarrhoea.
If your doctor orders an examination with contrast agent, you will also need kidney function laboratory results that show creatinine and urea levels. In the case of a scan with contrast agent, you should not eat for 6 hours beforehand.
How is the enterography CT performed?
A CT device resembles a large, thick ring with a table at the bottom on which you lie motionless while CT scans are taken. The device makes a roaring sound during operation, of which you should not be frightened. The patient does not feel any pain during the examination.
When can the enterography CT scan not be performed?
- This scan is performed using X-rays and is therefore not recommended during pregnancy as it may be dangerous to the foetus. Very rarely, for certain medical reasons, after a certain week of pregnancy, we also accept pregnant patients for CT scans.
- In case of an examination with contrast agent, if the eGFR of kidney function is below 45 ml/min, the scan is not performed.
What to expect after the examination?
The finding in itself is not a diagnosis. After the examination, please always consult a specialist with the result.
In case of a scan with contrast agent, an allergic reaction may occur in some cases. We cannot perform the scan on anyone who is allergic to iodine.
In rare cases, hypersensitivity might happen, which may occur in the form of an allergic reaction immediately after administration of the contrast agent.
When is the result of the enterography CT examination expected?
The completed recording will be reviewed by the radiologist and the result will be available in our online system after 3 working days.
