What you should know about low-dose CT scans

Screening for lung cancer is done using a low-dose CT (computed tomography) scan. It is also known as an LDCT scan.

To get a low-dose CT scan, you lie on a narrow table. The table passes through a large doughnut-shaped machine that uses a low amount of radiation to take pictures of your lungs. You may hear clicking or whirring noises during the scan. A camera moves around in the scanner, taking many images (slices). Computer software then stacks these slices together to make a 3D picture of the body. The test is not painful and only takes a few minutes to complete.

Find out more about computed tomography (CT) scan.