With and without contrast
Read Your Scan Editorial Team·Last updated
Written from published radiology references and reviewed for plain language. Not written or signed by a physician, and not a diagnosis. How we write these pages →
In plain language
The same area was scanned twice, once before dye was injected and once after, so the two sets can be compared. The comparison is the point: what changes between them tells the radiologist how blood is reaching a structure.
Where you’ll see this
The technique section of CT and MRI reports.
Your report may word it “Pre- and post-contrast”, “With and without IV contrast” or “Non-contrast”. These mean the same thing.
Questions worth asking your doctor
- Did this scan use the right technique to answer my question?
- Would contrast, or a different sequence, show something this one could not?
- Do I need another scan, or is this one enough?
How the scan was taken
Where this word comes up
See this word on your own scan
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