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Preparation
You may be asked to take off some of your clothes, and to put on a hospital gown. You will be asked to remove false teeth, hearing aids and make up. There will be somewhere outside the room for you to store your personal items.
The person carrying out the test (usually a radiographer) will explain what is going to happen, and answer any questions you have. S/he will go through a health checklist with you, to make sure it is safe for you to go into the scanner.
Some patients have an injection of a special liquid called contrast medium. This helps the radiographer to get the clearest possible scan pictures. Afterwards, the liquid passes harmlessly out of the body.
You may be given the opportunity to chose form a menu of CDs to listen to through headphones. You might like to bring your own along, in case it is possible to listen to them in the scanner.
The test
To have the scan done, you lie on your back on a couch. The scanning machine is a large tube that is open at both ends. The radiographer may position your body to help obtain the best images. You may also be given a button to press during the scan in the case of an emergency.
Once you are ready, the couch starts to move through the tube. You relax and lie still while the scanner takes pictures of you. A special aerial or coil is positioned around the area to be examined, to receive information during the scan.
The scanner makes a tapping noise that can be quite loud at times. You may get earplugs to wear.
During the scan your radiographer will leave the room – but s/he will be able to see and hear you throughout, and will talk to you during the scan.
The scan usually takes between 30 minutes and one hour to complete.
