“Why would a doctor order a CT scan for pneumonia?”
I am 32 year old male. I want to know why would a doctor order a CT scan for pneumonia?
1 Answer
There are multiple potential reasons. The first thing would do is ask the ordering doctor. The information should be made clear. There may be clinical reasons e.g.: Pneumonia that does not get better. There may be imaging reasons based on findings on the plain film e.g. a circular area that may be pneumonia or a mass simulating one or overlying densities that confuse the reader. There may be historical reasons added to the plain x ray finding eg work-related inhalation findings, smoking history, etc. CT of the chest is a very helpful test to answer confusing aspects of history, clinical findings, and/or x ray findings.
