The patient is not supposed to eat anything for at least 2-4 hours before the abdominal CT scan. They are also not supposed to take any medications. The patient should wear loose comfortable clothes or even change into a hospital gown and remove any kind of accessories.
Based on the reason why the patient is taking a CT scan they are said to drink a large glass of either barium or Gastrografin. These substances help in getting more clear images of the abdominal cavity.
Before getting an abdominal CT scan it is important to tell to doctor it the patient is:

• is allergic to barium, iodine, or any kind of contrast dye
• diabetic
• is pregnant

A standard abdominal CT scan takes about 10 to 30 minutes depending on the patient and the case. An abdominal CT scan is performed in a hospital’s radiology department or a clinic that is specialized in diagnostic procedures.

After the patient is dressed into the hospital gown, the CT scan technician will ask the patient to lie on the table, based on the reason for the scan the patient may be hooked up to an IV shot. The patient will mostly feel a warm sensation throughout their body when the dye is infused into their veins.

The patient is asked to lie in a specific position, the technician might use pillows or straps to assure that the patient is in the expected position for the scan in order to get explicit images. The patient is even asked to hold their breath for some parts of the scan.

With the help of remote control, the technician will move the table into the CT scan machine and then take images of the abdominal area of the patient from another room.