Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms)

A CT of the arm builds cross-sections rather than the flat shadow an x-ray gives, which is how complicated fractures and deep infections get understood. This is the version where iodine contrast is injected first to light up blood vessels and inflamed tissue, covering both arms.

This explanation has not been reviewed by a person yet.

What it is

A plain x-ray of an arm flattens everything into one shadow, so overlapping bone fragments hide one another. CT takes x-ray measurements from all around the limb and reconstructs slices, which can then be stacked into a three-dimensional model of the bone — the picture a surgeon actually plans from when a break runs into a joint surface. Contrast changes what else becomes visible. An iodine-based dye injected into a vein travels with the blood, so vessels stand out and tissue with an unusually rich blood supply does too: an abscess wall, an inflamed joint lining, the rim of a tumour. This code is the upper extremity — shoulder region down to the hand — with contrast, on both sides. Scans done without contrast, and scans done both before and after the injection, are separate codes.

Why it is done

To map a complex fracture of the arm, wrist, or hand, particularly where the break enters a joint
To look for infection in bone or deep soft tissue, and to show whether a collection of pus has formed
To characterize a mass in the arm and its relationship to the vessels, nerves, and bone around it
To check hardware, a fusion, or healing when plain films are inconclusive
To assess the blood vessels of the arm when flow is in question

What to expect

Patients are usually asked not to eat for a few hours beforehand when contrast is planned, and kidney function is often checked first, since the dye is cleared by the kidneys. A cannula goes into a vein and the injection is given by pump; a warm flush spreading through the body and a metallic taste at the back of the mouth are common and pass in under a minute. The arm is positioned — sometimes raised overhead, which can be awkward — and the table moves through the ring while the scan runs. The scanning itself takes only minutes. Allergic reactions to iodine contrast are rare, and imaging departments are equipped for them. A radiologist reports the study afterwards.

Questions worth asking

Was contrast actually given, and on both arms? With-contrast, without-contrast, and both-ways are three different codes at three different prices.
Is the contrast material itself charged as a separate supply line?
Does my plan require prior authorization for CT, and does the authorization cover the bilateral version?
Was blood work done before the scan to check kidney function, and is that a separate laboratory bill?
If plain films were taken first on the same day, will I be charged for those as well as for the CT?

What Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) costs by state

Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Texas — 110 hospitals, median $1,991.85
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Florida — 82 hospitals, median $2,765.10
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Ohio — 67 hospitals, median $1,614.75
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in California — 66 hospitals, median $2,872.80
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Illinois — 51 hospitals, median $2,645.28
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Virginia — 43 hospitals, median $1,500.00
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Tennessee — 38 hospitals, median $668.72
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $1,570.00
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Pennsylvania — 32 hospitals, median $1,424.40
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Iowa — 28 hospitals, median $2,000.35
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $2,619.00
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $1,103.50
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $1,963.00
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Washington — 25 hospitals, median $1,342.80
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Kentucky — 24 hospitals, median $1,999.80
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in New York — 23 hospitals, median $422.61
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Arizona — 21 hospitals, median $389.69
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in New Jersey — 21 hospitals, median $395.29
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Missouri — 20 hospitals, median $1,203.15
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $1,824.98
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $6,187.72
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Oklahoma — 17 hospitals, median $1,771.19
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $1,258.50
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $1,687.88
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $1,325.26
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $1,005.12
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $1,942.85
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $783.75
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $1,589.50
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Arkansas — 10 hospitals, median $889.20
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $1,945.15
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $2,145.60
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $2,801.76
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $2,773.86
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $2,022.40
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $1,698.00
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $717.44
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $137.40
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $1,364.80
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $1,950.06
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in Louisiana — 1 hospitals, median $340.08
Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $2,716.15

Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) prices at hospitals

See every published price for Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms): the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.

Arm CT Scan (with contrast, both arms) cost — see all prices →

Sources

RadiologyInfo (RSNA/ACR): Computed Tomography (CT) - Body (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
RadiologyInfo (RSNA/ACR): X-ray (Radiography) - Bone (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
Wikipedia (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)

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