Spiral CT Scan for Kidney Stones

Spiral (helical) CT gets its name from the circular movement of the scanner as the person's body moves through it. A spiral CT can provide a continuous scan of the kidneys in half the time of a standard CT scan. The advantages of a spiral CT scan over standard CT scanning include:

• A shorter test time.
• Better images of the kidneys and other organs.
• The ability to look at the kidneys from different views.

Credits

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Tushar J. Vachharajani, MD, FASN, FACP - Nephrology
Last Revised	April 28, 2011