ARRT CT case studies
ARRT CT · Put your knowledge to work in context.
ARRT certification and registration in Computed Tomography (CT) is a postprimary credential. ARRT states its purpose is to recognize individuals qualified to perform the role of a computed tomographer. It is aimed at technologists who already hold ARRT credentials in an approved supporting discipline - in some cases that supporting credential is earned through another organization, such as a Nuclear Medicine Technology credential from the NMTCB - and candidates pursue it through ARRT's postprimary eligibility pathway. The work itself spans the whole body: some patients are being evaluated for disease or an acute condition, others arrive in an emergency so physicians can gauge the extent of injury, and the technologist balances image quality against radiation dose while informing and calming anxious patients. The ARRT CT case studies are 5 cases and about 3,847 words.
1Burning Arm at 12 Seconds: IV Contrast Extravasation in an Outpatient
An 81 kg outpatient comes for CT abdomen/pelvis with IV contrast. She reports that her veins "collapse" and has had four cannulation attempts in the past week.
778 words, about 4 min2Incomplete Premedication and a 4.2 cm Aneurysm: Weighing Two Risks
A 57-year-old woman is scheduled for contrast-enhanced CTA of the chest. Five years ago she had a moderate reaction to IV iodinated contrast - diffuse hives and wheezing that resolved with diphenhydramine and observation.
710 words, about 4 min3A Frightened 4-Year-Old, 17 kg, and One Hour on the Clock
A 4-year-old boy, 17 kg, is referred for CT abdomen/pelvis for suspected appendicitis after an ultrasound was nondiagnostic. He has been vomiting for 18 hours, has a temperature of 38.4 °C, and is frightened and crying.
790 words, about 4 min444 cm Across: Photon Starvation in a 165 kg Patient
A 165 kg woman is scanned for suspected diverticulitis on a 64-row scanner. The localizer shows a lateral dimension of 44 cm; she fits within the 70 cm gantry aperture but is positioned slightly off isocenter.
794 words, about 4 min5Halving the Dose With Pitch: Real or Illusory?
A technologist scanning a 70 kg patient for CT pulmonary angiography notices the protocol uses pitch 0.9, a fixed 300 mA at 120 kVp, and a 0.5 s rotation. To reduce dose, the technologist raises the pitch to 1.8 and changes nothing else.
775 words, about 4 min