Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs)

Before a surgeon fixes a badly broken heel, ankle, or shin, they need to know how many pieces there are and how the joint surface has been driven apart — which an x-ray cannot show. This CT of the leg, done without injected dye, is the study that produces that map. The listing here covers the scan performed on both legs.

This explanation has not been reviewed by a person yet.

What it is

Some fractures are a line; others are a demolition. When someone lands from a height on their heels, the heel bone does not simply crack — it is compressed, widened, and split into fragments, with the joint surface above it pushed out of shape. A plain x-ray shows that something bad has happened without showing what. CT scans the region in thin cross-sections which can be reassembled into any plane and into a three-dimensional model, so the number of fragments, the step in the joint surface, and the direction each piece has moved can all be measured. That is the information a surgical plan is built on. No contrast is needed, because bone is naturally dense enough to stand out against everything around it.

Why it is done

To plan the surgical repair of a complex fracture of the heel, ankle, shin, or knee region, where the shape of the joint surface decides the approach
To detect a fracture that an x-ray suggested but did not prove
To assess whether a break has united, particularly where healing has been slow
To check the position of plates, screws, or a joint replacement, and the bone holding them
To evaluate a suspected bone infection or a lesion seen on another study

What to expect

You lie on the table and go into the scanner feet first, with the legs positioned and often strapped or padded to keep them still. Scanning takes seconds to a few minutes. There is no preparation for a study without contrast — no fasting, no IV, no sedation — and nothing afterward beyond getting up. A recently injured leg may be uncomfortable to position, and splints or casts generally stay on, since they do not block the scan the way they would block an x-ray view. The radiologist's report usually describes the fragments and the joint surface in the terms the surgeon needs.

Questions worth asking

Three-dimensional reconstructions are sometimes billed as an additional charge on top of the scan. Will they be, and were they requested?
If both legs are scanned, does the bill show one study or two?
Was this ordered by the surgeon for planning? If so, ask whether it is covered by the surgical global fee or invoiced separately.
A hospital radiology department and a freestanding imaging center often price the identical scan very differently. Is there a choice here, and will the surgeon accept images from either?
If I am transferred between hospitals for the surgery, will the second hospital rescan, and can that be avoided by sending the images?

What Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) costs by state

Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Texas — 110 hospitals, median $1,767.50
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Florida — 82 hospitals, median $2,423.20
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Ohio — 67 hospitals, median $1,074.60
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in California — 66 hospitals, median $2,132.00
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Illinois — 51 hospitals, median $1,941.50
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Virginia — 43 hospitals, median $1,002.88
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Tennessee — 38 hospitals, median $667.80
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Pennsylvania — 33 hospitals, median $876.00
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $1,470.00
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Iowa — 31 hospitals, median $1,773.32
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $2,207.00
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $1,084.80
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Kentucky — 26 hospitals, median $3,120.00
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $1,275.00
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Washington — 25 hospitals, median $870.00
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in New York — 23 hospitals, median $125.84
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Arizona — 21 hospitals, median $295.39
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in New Jersey — 21 hospitals, median $117.70
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Missouri — 20 hospitals, median $857.45
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $1,649.60
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $4,816.27
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Oklahoma — 17 hospitals, median $2,021.50
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $779.00
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $1,256.25
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $985.50
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $693.60
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $1,981.85
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $710.93
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $1,086.00
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Arkansas — 10 hospitals, median $787.80
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $1,382.10
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $2,029.60
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $2,274.48
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $2,110.27
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $1,235.20
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $983.40
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $910.08
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $107.40
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $1,148.80
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $1,696.80
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in Louisiana — 1 hospitals, median $302.64
Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $2,599.70

Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) prices at hospitals

See every published price for Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs): the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.

Leg CT Scan (without contrast, both legs) cost — see all prices →

Sources

RadiologyInfo (RSNA/ACR): Body CT (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
OrthoInfo (AAOS): Calcaneus (Heel Bone) Fractures (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)

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