Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast)

This is a CT scan focused on a small, crowded region of the skull — the eye socket, the pituitary area at the skull base, the back of the brain, or the bones of the ear — done after contrast is injected into a vein. The contrast makes blood vessels, inflamed tissue and masses stand out from the structures around them. The scan itself takes only minutes.

This explanation has not been reviewed by a person yet.

What it is

The regions this study covers are all places where a lot is packed into a very small space and where bone and soft tissue sit right against each other. The orbit holds the eye, its muscles and the optic nerve inside a bony cup. The sella is the small hollow at the base of the skull that the pituitary gland sits in. The ear's hearing and balance structures are buried in some of the densest bone in the body. CT is well suited to all of these because it produces thin cross-sections that can be reassembled in any plane, and because it renders bone in sharp detail. The contrast, an iodine-based liquid given through a vein, temporarily changes how X-rays pass through tissue that has a rich blood supply — which is what makes an inflamed area, an abnormal vessel or a tumor separate visibly from the normal tissue beside it.

Why it is done

To investigate a problem behind or around the eye — proptosis, double vision, sudden vision loss, or swelling that could be infection
To look at the pituitary region when hormone levels or symptoms point toward something occupying that space
To examine the bones of the middle and inner ear in hearing loss, dizziness, or infection that is not settling
To evaluate a mass in any of these areas and see how it takes up contrast
To look at the back of the skull and its contents after injury or when symptoms localize there

What to expect

You may be asked not to eat for a few hours beforehand because contrast is being given. The technologist places an IV, usually in the arm, and you lie on a table that slides through the ring of the scanner. Staying still matters — movement blurs thin slices badly — and you may be asked to keep your eyes fixed on a point for an orbit study. When the contrast goes in, many people feel a wave of warmth spreading through the body and a metallic taste; both pass quickly. The scanning takes minutes. Tell the staff beforehand about any past reaction to contrast, about kidney problems, and about diabetes medicines, since some require a plan around contrast.

Questions worth asking

Was a scan with contrast ordered, without, or both? Each is a different code, and "both" costs more than either alone.
Is the contrast agent billed as a separate line item, and at what price at this facility?
If I have had a reaction to contrast before, does the pre-treatment protocol add pharmacy or observation charges?
Would an MRI answer the same question, and how do the two prices compare here?
Is the radiologist reading this scan in network with my plan, even if the imaging department is?

What Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) costs by state

Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Texas — 112 hospitals, median $1,543.83
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in California — 90 hospitals, median $2,323.24
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Florida — 75 hospitals, median $5,100.42
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Ohio — 68 hospitals, median $1,214.40
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Illinois — 51 hospitals, median $2,153.40
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Virginia — 42 hospitals, median $1,360.80
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Tennessee — 38 hospitals, median $559.65
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $1,570.00
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Pennsylvania — 32 hospitals, median $1,294.80
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Washington — 32 hospitals, median $1,349.20
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Iowa — 27 hospitals, median $1,521.58
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $1,786.00
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $749.00
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $1,551.42
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Kentucky — 24 hospitals, median $2,067.60
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Arizona — 23 hospitals, median $421.61
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in New York — 22 hospitals, median $210.66
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in New Jersey — 21 hospitals, median $450.59
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Missouri — 20 hospitals, median $1,234.75
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $2,194.40
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $5,613.92
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Oklahoma — 17 hospitals, median $1,432.60
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $901.50
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $1,619.05
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $990.00
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Nebraska — 12 hospitals, median $1,520.00
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Arkansas — 11 hospitals, median $813.80
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $5,341.32
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $1,976.50
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Mississippi — 10 hospitals, median $810.80
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $2,142.00
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $2,409.60
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $2,737.80
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $1,296.01
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $2,100.00
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $1,837.26
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $738.56
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $172.80
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $886.40
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $1,990.38
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in Louisiana — 1 hospitals, median $249.08
Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $2,395.25

Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) prices at hospitals

See every published price for Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast): the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.

Eye Socket, Pituitary or Ear CT Scan (with contrast) cost — see all prices →

Sources

RadiologyInfo (RSNA/ACR): CT - Head (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
RadiologyInfo (RSNA/ACR): Contrast Materials (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)

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