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In most cases, one or both parents are allowed to stay in the examining room with the child while the scan is being done. Occasionally, the radiologist may feel it's in the best interest of the child that only medical personnel be in the room. The technologist will be watching from behind a glass window, and you can speak to the technologist at any time through an intercom.

Tests such as this are vitally important to diagnose and help manage your child's health problem. The exam will be interpreted by a radiologist, who will report the findings to your doctor. You may discuss the results with your doctor.

Please feel free to ask the technologist or radiologist about any part of the test you don't understand. Presbyterian has the best interest of your child at heart, and we want to be sure that all your questions are answered.

Your doctor will leave instructions about how to prepare for the exam. It may be necessary to withhold regular meals the day of the test and only allow the child to drink liquids until the test is over. If the CT scan is of the abdomen or pelvis, we may give the child a fruit-flavored drink mixed with a special dye or "contrast material" to help the stomach and intestines show up better on the scan. The child may need to drink a lot of it, even after he or she is no longer thirsty.

If the CT Scan is of your child's head, be sure your child has nothing to eat for four hours before the test, not even water. For a scan of the head, contrast dye may be injected into a vein, but there'll be no need to drink the flavored dye. The radiologist or technologist will put tape on your child's head to help him or her hold still.

Please tell the X-ray technologist if your child is allergic to contrast material, iodine, medications or if he or she has asthma or other health problems.

For the test, your child will lie down on a special table that slides into the middle of a doughnut-shaped X-ray machine. A second kind of contrast material may be injected into a vein, probably in your child's arm. This dye helps the organs show up better.

Next, a series of X-ray images will be taken. Your child will need to lie very still while the X-rays are made. If he or she is agitated or won't lie still, the radiologist may give a sedative to let your child sleep. Sometimes an oral sedative that the child can drink will be enough. But sometimes it's necessary to start an IV and give the sedative directly into a vein. It's short acting, therefore your child will usually start to wake up within an hour after the test is finished.

Except for the injection, the CT Scan is painless. The amount of radiation your child receives will not significantly endanger his or her health.

The test will take about 30 minutes, but you may need to wait about half an hour afterwards while the radiologist makes sure all the pictures are clear. Sometimes additional scans will be needed.

The dye might make your child feel flushed or nauseous, or leave a funny taste in his or her mouth. These effects will go away quickly, and many children feel no effects at all.