Contrast is injected through a vein in your arm and shows up as bright on a CT image. It helps our radiologists identify and characterize certain diseases. It is so useful that in certain studies, such as abdominal CTs, it is almost always utilized.

The length of time varies with the type of study. Some can be performed in less than five minutes; others can take thirty minutes or longer. The average length of time is between fifteen and twenty minutes.

The oral contrast can cause you to have more frequent bowel movements but it should not cause diarrhea.

The radiation dose varies with the part of the body being imaged. Every effort is made to limit the amount of radiation exposure a patient receives.

No. Barium sulfate is totally unrelated to sulfa medicines. Barium can be safely ingested regardless of allergies.

An MRI uses a powerful magnetic field for imaging; a CT scanner uses x-rays. Both are powerful tools for imaging, and each has certain things it images better than the other. For example, MRI is better for imaging the knee, whereas CT is better imaging the lungs. The two are complimentary in many parts of the body. For example, it is not unusual for a CT of the liver to show an abnormality, and then an MRI to help further characterize it.