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A CT scan is used to create detailed images of the body's internal structures, helping doctors diagnose conditions like tumors, fractures, internal bleeding, and organ damage.
Is a CT scan safe?
While a CT scan uses radiation, the exposure is minimal and generally considered safe. However, prolonged or frequent scans may slightly increase the risk of radiation-related health issues. Pregnant women are usually advised to avoid CT scans.
How long does a CT scan take?
The actual scanning process typically takes only a few minutes, but the entire procedure, including preparation, may take around 15–30 minutes.
Why do some CT scans require contrast material?
Contrast material, such as iodine-based dye, helps highlight blood vessels, organs, and tissues in the images, making it easier to detect abnormalities. It is usually used for abdominal, chest, or brain scans.
Can I eat or drink before a CT scan?
It depends on the type of scan. For contrast-enhanced scans, you may need to fast for a few hours. Always follow the instructions given by your healthcare provider.
The CT Scanner Reading Answers, IELTS Passage
The CT Scanner Reading Answers can help students find detailed IELTS reading answers with explanations, locations, and references.
Porishmita .11 Mar, 2025
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The CT Scanner Reading Answers: The CT Scanner Reading Answers topic consists of around 13 questions in the IELTS Reading Test. Students are advised to spend approximately 20 minutes on this passage to efficiently manage their time for all questions. This topic includes a variety of question types, such as True/False/Not Given, Matching Information, and Sentence Completion. Carefully reading the passage and practicing these questions will help improve comprehension skills and boost IELTS Reading band score.
The CT Scanner Reading Answers Passage
The CT Scanner
A. The computed tomography scanner, better known as the CT scanner, was originally designed to provide cross-sectional images of the brain. The word tomography comes from the Greek word tomos, meaning “section,” and graphia, meaning “picture.” Godfrey Hounsfield developed the technique in 1972 and was later knighted and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the medical field. Within four years of this development, CT scans, also called CAT scans (computed axial tomography), were restructured, allowing technicians to scan the entire body for evidence of tumours, injuries, and other abnormalities. Rather than taking a single picture as in an X-ray, a CT scanner sends several beams into an area and takes photographs from many different angles.
B. While the original CT scans took Hounsfield several hours to reconstruct into a useful image, today’s machines can produce an in-depth image in a fraction of a second. Creating a scanner that could produce images at a faster rate was crucial in the development of tomography, as it reduced the degree of distortion in an image caused when patients breathed and moved. As well as providing images with better resolution, today’s scanners also provide more comfort for the patient.
C. During a CT scan, a patient must lie still on a special table while the radiology technician locates the specific area that needs to be photographed. The table slides into a round tunnel (gantry), where it can be rotated or moved forward and backwards in order to obtain the necessary view. Inside the doughnut-shaped machine, a number of X rays are taken, each producing a small slice of the image that doctors require. When passing through dense tissue such as a bone, the X-ray beams are weak and appear white in the CT images. Tissues such as those found in the brain are less dense and appear grey. Images that appear black denote organs such as lungs or others that can fill with air.
D. The CT scanner is made up of several computer systems, including the host computer, which organizes the entire process. One of the computers converts the raw data into an image, while another allows the technician to control the rotation of the gantry. After the information is processed, it is displayed on a monitor for radiologists and physicians to analyze. The information is also saved and printed to keep in a doctor’s records and to share and discuss with patients and their family members.
E. Physicians order CT scans for a number of different reasons, including searching for and assessing tumours, cysts, kidney stones, and bone injuries. Without this technology, surgeons would have to perform many needless and costly operations. Brain, chest, and abdominal CT scans are the most common, though physicians also rely on the CT scanner to guide their needles while draining an abscess or performing a biopsy. Most emergency or shock-treatment centres contain a CT scanner in order to assess trauma victims. CT scans can pinpoint internal bleeding both in the brain and throughout the body.
F. In many cases, a patient must be given a contrast material before undergoing a CT scan. During “dynamic CT scanning,” iodine dye is either injected into the blood or added to a drink that the patient must ingest approximately forty-five minutes before entering the scanner. The liquid X-ray dye makes it easier to see the organs and blood vessels when the pictures are developed. The intravenous contrast material is typically used for chest or pelvic scans, while oral-contrast material is used for abdominal scans. In some cases, physicians request that pictures be taken both before and after the contrast material enters the patient’s body. Patients who receive contrast material in the arm often report feeling a warm sensation, and in rare cases, an allergic reaction occurs. Contrast material causes water loss and is avoided when scanning patients who suffer from kidney failure.
G. The danger of radiation exposure caused by X-ray beams is generally considered minimal compared to the benefits that a CT scan can provide. In many cases, especially in the detection of tumours and internal bleeding, CT scans provide information that can save a person’s life. Full-body scanning, which is saved for serious conditions such as coronary artery disease, remains a controversial procedure as prolonged exposure to radiation is linked to cancer. Pregnant women are excluded from receiving CT scans, as the X-rays can be harmful to the fetus. When pregnant women require an evaluation, most physicians favour using other procedures such as an ultrasound or an MRI.
1. The first CT scanner was specifically designed to scan the entire body.
FALSE
Section A
"The computed tomography scanner, better known as the CT scanner, was originally designed to provide cross-sectional images of the brain." This contradicts the statement since the initial CT scanner was designed for brain imaging, not the entire body.
2. Modern CT scanners can create images much faster than the early models.
TRUE
Section B
"While the original CT scans took Hounsfield several hours to reconstruct into a useful image, today’s machines can produce an in-depth image in a fraction of a second." This confirms that modern scanners are much faster.
3. CT images show bones in black and soft tissues in white.
FALSE
Section C
"When passing through dense tissue such as a bone, the X-ray beams are weak and appear white in the CT images... Images that appear black denote organs such as lungs or others that can fill with air." This contradicts the statement because bones appear white, not black.
4. A CT scanner is operated manually by a radiologist without any computer assistance.
FALSE
Section D
"The CT scanner is made up of several computer systems, including the host computer, which organizes the entire process." This confirms that computers play a key role in operating the CT scanner.
5. Contrast material is used in every CT scan procedure.
FALSE
Section F
"In many cases, a patient must be given a contrast material before undergoing a CT scan." The phrase "in many cases" suggests that contrast material is not used in every scan.
6. Patients with kidney failure may not be given contrast material for a CT scan.
TRUE
Section F
"Contrast material causes water loss and is avoided when scanning patients who suffer from kidney failure." This directly confirms the statement.
7. CT scans are always safe for pregnant women.
FALSE
Section G
"Pregnant women are excluded from receiving CT scans, as the X-rays can be harmful to the fetus." This clearly contradicts the statement.
Questions 8-13 Answers
Question
Answer (Section)
Reference & Explanation
8. The historical development of the CT scanner.
A
"Godfrey Hounsfield developed the technique in 1972… Within four years of this development, CT scans... were restructured, allowing technicians to scan the entire body." This discusses the invention and early development of the CT scanner.
9. The use of CT scans in emergency medical situations.
E
"Most emergency or shock-treatment centres contain a CT scanner in order to assess trauma victims. CT scans can pinpoint internal bleeding both in the brain and throughout the body." This highlights the role of CT scans in emergency medicine.
10. The role of computers in processing CT scan images.
D
"The CT scanner is made up of several computer systems, including the host computer, which organizes the entire process." This confirms that computers play a key role in processing CT images.
11. The process of performing a CT scan on a patient.
C
"During a CT scan, a patient must lie still on a special table while the radiology technician locates the specific area that needs to be photographed." This describes the scanning procedure.
12. The use of contrast material in specific types of scans.
F
"During 'dynamic CT scanning,' iodine dye is either injected into the blood or added to a drink that the patient must ingest..." This describes when and why contrast material is used.
13. The potential risks associated with radiation exposure.
G
"The danger of radiation exposure caused by X-ray beams is generally considered minimal compared to the benefits... Full-body scanning... remains a controversial procedure as prolonged exposure to radiation is linked to cancer." This explains the risks of CT scan radiation.
