You need only go as far as your local grocery store to see all of the different foods that are available with no trans fats or low fat. What is even better is that these foods generally taste the same as their fattier counterparts. Much of these healthier foods have come about because so many people have high cholesterol and high blood pressure problems.
In addition to eating healthy foods, there are various kinds of preventative scans, such as the CT angiography, that are very necessary in determining whether a patient needs certain kinds of treatment. A CT angiography uses a form of x ray technology to produce three dimensional views of the various blood vessels and major arteries in the body.
When a person has high cholesterol or high blood pressure and is experiencing frequent chest pains or other assorted symptoms, a CT angiography will be done in order to determine whether or not there is a clot or aneurysm present. Additionally, this scan might also be done to detect various organ irregularities.
Patients who are told that they need to have this procedure done are, no doubt, curious about several different things, especially in regard to how they should prepare. There might or might not be food restrictions, since it all has to do with whatever the patient is being tested for.
Regardless of what the patient is being tested for, it is very important that the patient arrive to the outpatient facility where the scan is being done wearing comfortable clothing. That all seems easy enough, but the clothing also needs to be without any metal. This means that buttons, zippers, and other accessories (including things like hearing aids and glasses) all need to be avoided. In the event that the patient does not have any metal free clothing, then the patient will be given a medical robe to wear.
The interesting thing about the CT angiography is the fact that it actually takes longer for the patient to be prepared at the facility (usually about fifteen minutes) then it does for the actual scan. This is especially true if the patient is going to need a contrast material. A contrast material is a certain kind of dye that is given to the patient prior to the scan via intravenous. The purpose of the contrast material is to highlight a certain area of the blood vessels so that the scan can focus on that area specifically.
When the contrast material has been given to the patient, the next step is to have the patient lie down on an examination table. The patient will be given a pillow to make him or her more comfortable. The examination table will then be pushed back into the scanning area itself.
It is very important for the patient to remain as still as possible while the scan is being done. This should not be very hard, considering that the scan itself takes about a minute to complete. After the scan has been done, the patient is usually able to resume regular activities, and will be told the results as soon as possible.
