What is an acronysm?

Difference between CAT scan and cat scan with contrast?

A CAT scan is actually just an acronysm of the actual name of the test. CAT used to stand for Computerized Axial Tomography ( which is a fancy way of saying you use computers to to form images or slices of the anatomy) (the Axial stands for the plane of the image in relationship to the body) Think of slicing the body from end to end like a loaf of bread. This has been shortened over the years to just CT scan or Computerized Tomography. ( the CT scanner now takes different angles of imaging and is no longer just axial imaging). Contrast is something put into the body thru injection, by swallowing, or both to give the pictures a "contrast" to what it normaly looks like, and gives us a way of pulling out certain aspects of the image to see some things better. So what it comes down to is a CT scan is still the same either way but your doctor may order it with contrast, without contrast, or both depending on what he needs to see.