"Cat Scans After Open Heart Surgery?" For Jerry

By Adam Pick on September 10, 2008

Jerry just wrote me asking, "Did you have a cat scan after your open heart surgery?"

Hmmm. I have to admit, I don't remember having a cat scan after my aortic valve replacement surgery. However, I did have a bunch of x-rays taken after the operation. In fact, I was taken to Radiology every morning following my aortic valve surgery.

Cat scan of heart

If you are interested to learn more about cat scans, here is some good information from RadiologyInfo.org.

  • CT scanning—sometimes called CAT scanning—is a noninvasive, painless medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions.

  • CT imaging uses special x-ray equipment to produce multiple images or pictures of the inside of the body and a computer to join them together in cross-sectional views of the area being studied. The images can then be examined on a computer monitor or printed.

  • CT scans of internal organs, bone, soft tissue and blood vessels provide greater clarity than conventional x-ray exams.

  • Using specialized equipment and expertise to create and interpret CT scans of the body, radiologists can more easily diagnose problems such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, trauma and musculoskeletal disorders.

I hope that helps explain more about cats scans after heart surgery.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Written by Adam Pick
Patient & Website Founder

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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