Le abdominal scanner is a technique ofimagery for diagnostic purposes which consists in “sweeping” the abdominal region to create sectional images. These are much more informative than those of conventional x-rays, and allow visualization of the organs of the abdominal area: the liver, the small intestine, the stomach, the pancreas, the colon, the spleen, the kidneys, etc.

The technique uses X-rays which are absorbed differently depending on the density of the tissues, and a computer which analyzes the data and produces point-by-point cross-sectional images of the anatomical structures of the abdomen. Images are displayed in grayscale on a video screen.

Note that the term “scanner” is actually the name of the medical device, but it is commonly used to name the examination. We also talk about computed tomography or of scanographie.

The doctor prescribes an abdominal scan to detect a lesion on an organ or tissue in the abdominal area or to know its extent. The examination can for example be carried out to find:

• the cause of a abdominal pain or swelling

• a hernia

• the cause of a persistent fever

• the presence of you die

• of the kidney stones (uroscanner)

• or to appendicitis.

The patient lies on his back with his arms behind his head, and is placed on a table capable of sliding through a ring-shaped device. This contains an x-ray tube that rotates around the patient.

The patient should be still during the examination and may even have to hold his breath for short periods, because the movement causes blurry images. The medical staff, placed behind a protective glass against X-rays, monitor the progress of the examination on a computer screen and can communicate with the patient via a microphone.

The examination may require the prior injection of a contrast medium opaque to X-rays (based on iodine), in order to improve the legibility of the images. It can be injected intravenously before the exam or orally, especially for an abdominal CT scan.

Thanks to the thin sections obtained by the examination, the doctor can identify different ailments, such as:

• certain cancers : cancer of the pancreas, kidney, liver or colon

• problems with the gallbladder, liver or pancreas: alcoholic liver disease, pancreatitis or cholelithiasis (gallstones)

• of the kidney problems : kidney stones, obstructive uropathy (pathology characterized by a reversal of the direction of urine flow) or swelling of a kidney

• un abscess, appendicitis, a condition of the intestinal wall, etc.