Advantages of CT scans
Useful in showing bony lesions. More useful than MRI for investigating cortical bone fractures and calcification of organs. Good contrast between different tissues. Good contrast is seen between tissues which are mainly bone, fat, water, and air. Use of a narrow X-ray beam and windowing can produce detailed images. However CT cannot differentiate well between different parts of the same organ. Useful in imaging metallic foreign body. MRI is unsuitable in metallic foreign body as it can move the object causing dislocation or tissue damage.Rapid imaging. Modern machines can produce images in a matter of a few seconds, depending on the type of scan where as MRI scan takes much longer to complete.
Disadvantages of CT scans
High ionizing dose. Bony artefacts. Brain scans may be distorted by bony artefacts Very small lesions may be missed. The wavelength of the X-ray beam means that lesions under 1cm may be missed Limited contrast. CT cannot differentiate between tissues of very similar density or between areas of inconsistancy within an organ.
Useful in showing bony lesions. More useful than MRI for investigating cortical bone fractures and calcification of organs. Good contrast between different tissues. Good contrast is seen between tissues which are mainly bone, fat, water, and air. Use of a narrow X-ray beam and windowing can produce detailed images. However CT cannot differentiate well between different parts of the same organ. Useful in imaging metallic foreign body. MRI is unsuitable in metallic foreign body as it can move the object causing dislocation or tissue damage.Rapid imaging. Modern machines can produce images in a matter of a few seconds, depending on the type of scan where as MRI scan takes much longer to complete.
Disadvantages of CT scans
High ionizing dose. Bony artefacts. Brain scans may be distorted by bony artefacts Very small lesions may be missed. The wavelength of the X-ray beam means that lesions under 1cm may be missed Limited contrast. CT cannot differentiate between tissues of very similar density or between areas of inconsistancy within an organ.