CT Chest (HRCT)
A focused scan for Lung parenchyma, Airways, Pleura.
Overview
Examines Lung parenchyma, Airways, Pleura. Performed at an NABL-accredited Meridian Health centre with a same-day report and a free doctor review.
The full panel
3 areas across 1 groupEvery parameter, grouped by body system — no clicking to expand.
What this scan measures
High-resolution CT of the chest — sub-millimetre slices through the lungs that resolve the fine architecture of the lung tissue: the airways down to small bronchioles, the interstitium (the scaffolding between air sacs), the pleura, the mediastinum and the lymph nodes.
HRCT is ordered when a chest X-ray is normal or non-specific but symptoms persist, and it is the definitive test for interstitial lung disease, bronchiectasis, early emphysema and the characterisation of a nodule seen on an X-ray. It is also used to stage infection and to assess the lungs before surgery.
Symptoms that lead to this scan
- Breathlessness that a chest X-ray has not explained
- A chronic cough, or a cough producing large volumes of sputum
- A nodule or shadow found on a chest X-ray
- Known occupational dust exposure or connective tissue disease
- Persistent symptoms after pneumonia or COVID-19
Understanding your results
HRCT reports use a specific descriptive vocabulary — ground-glass opacity, reticulation, honeycombing, traction bronchiectasis, tree-in-bud nodularity — and each pattern narrows the list of possible causes rather than naming one. A pattern is interpreted together with your lung function tests, occupational history and blood work, typically in a joint discussion between a chest physician and a radiologist. Small nodules are extremely common incidental findings; most are benign and are managed by a defined interval follow-up scan rather than immediate action.
Why the preparation matters
No fasting for a plain HRCT. The one thing that genuinely determines the quality of the scan is your breathing: the images are acquired during a held breath, usually at full inspiration and sometimes again in expiration to look for air trapping. Practise the breath-hold with the radiographer, because motion blurs exactly the fine detail the scan exists to show.
CT Scan — safety and who should not be scanned
Full CT Scan guideCT uses considerably more ionising radiation than a plain X-ray — the trade for the detail it produces. Published reference figures put a head CT at roughly the background radiation of several months and a chest or abdominal CT at roughly a few years' worth. That is a risk worth taking when the scan will change management, and not worth taking when it will not, which is why CT is requested selectively rather than as a screening test. Modern scanners use iterative reconstruction and automatic dose modulation to keep the exposure as low as the diagnostic question allows.
- Pregnancy
- Always declare it. CT of the abdomen or pelvis delivers a direct dose to the fetus and is avoided unless the scan is genuinely necessary and no alternative — usually ultrasound or MRI — will answer the question. Head and limb CT can sometimes proceed with shielding after a specific discussion.
- Previous severe reaction to iodinated contrast
- A past reaction with rash, swelling, breathing difficulty or collapse must be reported before any contrast study. The scan may be done without contrast, with premedication, or replaced by a different test. Simple warmth, flushing or a metallic taste during a previous injection is a normal sensation, not an allergy.
- Impaired kidney function
- Iodinated contrast is cleared by the kidneys, so a recent creatinine or eGFR is checked before contrast studies. With significantly reduced function the scan may be done without contrast, or with hydration and dose adjustment as directed by the radiologist.
- Metformin, and uncontrolled thyroid overactivity
- Bring your medication list. Metformin is sometimes withheld around a contrast study in people with reduced kidney function, and iodinated contrast can destabilise untreated hyperthyroidism — both are managed with a plan rather than a refusal, provided the team knows.
- Inability to lie still, or claustrophobia
- The bore is short and open, so claustrophobia is far less of a problem than with MRI, but movement blurs the slices and may make a scan non-diagnostic. Tell the team if pain, tremor or anxiety will make stillness difficult; positioning aids and, rarely, sedation can be arranged.
- Table weight and bore limits
- Every scanner has a stated maximum table weight and aperture. Mention any concern when booking so the appropriate scanner is allocated, rather than discovering it on the day.
Who should consider this scan
- Anyone with unexplained chronic breathlessness or cough
- People with suspected interstitial lung disease or bronchiectasis
- Patients with connective tissue disease and respiratory symptoms
- Anyone with a nodule needing characterisation
- People with significant occupational dust or smoke exposure
Conditions it helps detect
How it works
Patient stories
96% recommend“The phlebotomist arrived exactly on time and was gentle. My report came in five hours with a doctor’s note.”
“Booked at night, sample collected next morning. The parameter breakdown is genuinely thorough.”
“Loved the free doctor review — she walked me through my vitamin D and thyroid results clearly.”