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Methodology of CT scan of the neck
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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By analogy with a head CT scan, a lateral topogram is first performed. This topogram is used to mark the levels of transverse (axial) scanning and the gantry rotation angle. Conventional neck sections are set at a thickness of 4-5 mm. Axial images are obtained on the monitor screen and when transferred to the printer as a view from below (from the caudal side). Thus, the right lobe of the thyroid gland is depicted to the left of the trachea, and the left lobe to the right.
The image should occupy the entire space on the monitor screen, then the details of all the small structures of the neck become visible. When the upper chest aperture appears during CT of the neck, the area under study expands, which allows changes to be detected in the supraclavicular fossa and axillary areas.
Artifacts caused by the patient's dentures cause blurring of the surrounding structures, but only within one or two slices. In this case, a second scan at a different angle may be required to visualize the area hidden by the artifact.
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