Do you need to undress for a CT head scan?

[LynetteScavo]

I'm taking my 85 yo DM for a CT head scan. The letter says she may need to wear a hospital gown and she can take a dressing gown.

I've seen the cubicles in the waiting area when I've taken DC for x-rays and DM is going to really struggle to get dressed and undressed by herself in one. There must be a larger disabled one, that I hadn't noticed. But if it's a head scan, does the whole body go in the scanner? Is there anything else I need to know? Thank you.

You don’t usually need to undress for a CT scan at all as long as you’re not wearing anything metal (anything with zips, underwired bras etc).

I have for the ones I have had in the past, but I have always been in a&e or an assessment cubicle so plenty room to undress and pop the gown on.

I had a head scan recently and just needed to remove anything metal above the shoulders. I was given information about this well in advance.

It's a standard letter template.

Wear metal-free clothing.

For CT scans metal is only an issue in terms of causing artefacts in the imaging so metal in areas that aren't being scanned doesn't matter (e.g. For a body scan you could leave your glasses on). MRI uses strong electromagnets so they won't let you have anything metallic on regardless of which part is being imaged.

Clothes should be fine for a ct (zips and underwriting are fine too... it’s with mri’s that they are a problem). Loose-ish sleeves that roll-up are best if they need to put a cannula in to give contrast.

I had one in A&E this week. I didn't have to undress and I was wearing an underwired bra and earrings. I did take my coat off.

Thank you- hopefully we'll be able to laugh afterwards about taking the dressing gown

I went to an MRI before Xmas and in the past I’ve worn my own clothes so long as they didn’t have metal on them, but this time I had to change into hospital scrubs due to covid precautions.