Article: The words on the film will let you know which side of the film should be facing towards you and where the top is.  This should not be an issue if the CT films are on a disk, but you still should check.  When you look at a CT scan, it is like looking in a mirror.  The right side of your body will be on the left side of the film and the left side of your body will be on right.  The uppercase R and L on the films tell you what side of the body is represented on the film, not the actual right and left side of the physical film.  The anterior or front part of your body will be on the top of the film and the posterior or back part of your body will be on the bottom. Numbers will be printed on the CT films.  The CT scan cuts your body into cross-sections which are like very thin slices of bread.  As you look at the images in order, you will notice a normal and natural flow.  Any sudden breaks can suggest disease or an abnormality.  When you look at the special X-rays in order, it is like watching a slow-motion film of the structures and organs inside of you and how they relate to each other.  If you were looking at a CT of your chest, you would see how your large blood vessels and the bronchi (the tubes through which air flows in and out of your lungs) weave through your uniform lung tissue.  Lung cancer would create a noticeable disruption in this pattern. When you view the films on your computer, you will have no issue with scrolling through the images and seeing it as a slow-moving film. The soft tissues, fat, air, and bone inside of you are represented in these different shades.  An unexpected color in a part of your body could be a sign of an abnormality.  Dense tissues like bone show up as white areas.  Both air and fat show up as dark gray or black.  Your soft tissues and any fluid, including blood, will show up in various shades of gray.  Different types of contrast, which shine bright white on the films, are used to better define the structures inside you.  You swallow one type to show the fluid inside your stomach and intestines.  But, another type is injected into your into a vein to show the blood in your vessels or the fluid around an organ.  The latter could be a sign of inflammation, infection, or bleeding. A specific example is looking at the shading on the CT of your brain and knowing you have had a stroke.  The bone of your skull is normal and shines bright white like an egg shell around the grays and black of your brain tissue.  But, there is a small, faint white area surrounded by the grays and black where the stroke has occurred.  Your brain tissue was deprived of blood flow in this area.  The fluid which leaked out of your injured brain cells has contrast in it.  This fluid is white, but it is not as bright as your skull. Bilateral organs should be hard to tell apart like identical twins.  The CT anatomy atlas is a good reference, but the best point of reference is the normal organ on the other side. This will not work for organs like your liver, stomach, or spleen; you only have one of each.  However, your brain has two lobes.  You do have two arms and legs plus organs like your kidneys, lungs, ovaries, and testicles which are bilateral. A radiologist is a doctor who specializes in interpreting all types of X-rays, including CT scans, has read your films.  She sent a report to your doctor with a detailed description of what she saw on your films. Your doctor ordered the CT scan either to find a diagnosis to explain your symptoms or as a follow-up for a medical problem like cancer, stroke, or a broken bone.  You are a bit nervous or curious.  It seems like the day of your doctor's appointment will never come.  You have a copy of the CT and you decide to take a look.  Reading a CT correctly takes a lot of practice and proper lighting.  Let your doctor and the radiologist have the final word on what is normal and abnormal on your CT scan.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Hold the film in the proper orientation. Put the films in the correct order. Take note of the shades of white, gray, and black. Compare the two sides to help you see abnormalities. Talk to your doctor.