computed axial tomography
- noun
- /kəmˈpjuːtɪd ˈæksɪəl tɒməˈɡræfi/
- Specialized
:
tomografía axial computarizada
- This group included a patient who had a large supraclavicular abscess extending substernally on a computed axial tomography (CT) scan.
- computed axial tomography scan
Examples
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The doctor recommended a computed axial tomography scan to diagnose the issue with the patient's lungs.
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After the injury, the athlete underwent a computed axial tomography scan to check for any internal damage.
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I remember an older physician who complained about the patient who demanded a CAT (computed axial tomography) scan in order to get at the root of his headaches.
Academic text (1993) -
During the examination, they used computed axial tomography to obtain detailed images of the brain.
Synonyms
189
4.6
A scan that uses X-rays and a computer to make detailed pictures of the inside of the body
52
3.7
A medical scan that uses X-rays and a computer to make detailed images of the inside of the body
26
3.2
A medical test using X-rays and a computer to make detailed images of the inside of the body
3
6.7
A way of making detailed pictures of the inside of the body
1
3.6
A medical scan using X-rays and a computer to make pictures of the body's inside
1
4.1
A medical scan using X-rays and a computer to make detailed images of the inside of the body
A scan that uses X rays and a computer to make thin pictures of the inside of the body
Surface Forms
Morphology
compute + axial + tomography
The phrase is fully compositional: 'computed' (calculated), 'axial' (along an axis), and 'tomography' (cross-sectional imaging) combine in a standard modifier + noun pattern to denote an imaging technique that produces axis-based sectional images using computation. The medical morphemes are cognate across many languages (e.g. tomografía, tomographie) and the structure follows predictable English compound-noun formation, so a learner who knows the constituents can derive the meaning.
Etymology
Computed axial tomography gets its name from how the scan works: a computer combines X-rays taken around one line through the body, the axial part, to make thin 'slices' of the body because tomography means making pictures of slices. So the term refers to a medical scan that shows images of the inside of organs.