[Bedside pictures and thorax-CT of intensive care patients]

Computed tomography is a rare radiologic procedure in the intensive-care patient. This is due to the complicated procedure involved. Although x-ray film imaging in the supine patient has definitely improved in quality, computed tomography will continue to be used as the decisive method in cases that cannot be clarified completely, i.e. complex lesions, drainage, in the first examination of a polytraumatic patient, in the search for empyemas and abscesses, and in the clarification and identification of mediastinal processes.