“How long does a lung CT scan take?”
I am a 34 year old male. I will have a CT scan of my lungs next week. How long does a lung CT scan take?
6 Answers
5 min
5 min
Hello,
The answer to your question is not a one size fits all because it depends on the type of lung CT scan ordered. If it's a noncontrast CT of the lungs then no labs or IV needed and scan takes 1-2mins. If ordered with IV contrast the scan can be a straight forward scan with a single pass thru the anatomy of interest (1-2mins) in addition to time it takes to start an IV and whether labs were already done as an outpatient. A dynamic contrast study of the lungs is rarely done, but it's done sequentially, in phases to better assess blood supply (if any) to an abnormality such as a mass. The CT scanner will be programmed to scan the area of interest at for ex. 1, 5, and 10 minutes post contrast injection. Perfusion (enhancement) patterns can provide valuable, non invasive/non surgical information helping the doctor to have a better idea of what the abnormality/ diagnosis might be (e.g., tumor vs abscess, or blood). Labs to assess renal function PTE are needed in adults due to potential of causing permanent damage to kidneys that may be predisposed to ill effects from the contrast.
The answer to your question is not a one size fits all because it depends on the type of lung CT scan ordered. If it's a noncontrast CT of the lungs then no labs or IV needed and scan takes 1-2mins. If ordered with IV contrast the scan can be a straight forward scan with a single pass thru the anatomy of interest (1-2mins) in addition to time it takes to start an IV and whether labs were already done as an outpatient. A dynamic contrast study of the lungs is rarely done, but it's done sequentially, in phases to better assess blood supply (if any) to an abnormality such as a mass. The CT scanner will be programmed to scan the area of interest at for ex. 1, 5, and 10 minutes post contrast injection. Perfusion (enhancement) patterns can provide valuable, non invasive/non surgical information helping the doctor to have a better idea of what the abnormality/ diagnosis might be (e.g., tumor vs abscess, or blood). Labs to assess renal function PTE are needed in adults due to potential of causing permanent damage to kidneys that may be predisposed to ill effects from the contrast.
30-60 minutes. Actual scan time is only a few minutes, bulk of time is getting ready and prepped to have CT performed.
Actual scan time 1 minute. Total time approximately 10 minutes
Two breath holds.
