Photo courtesy Department of Defense

CAT scans take the idea of conventional X-ray imaging to a new level. Instead of finding the outline of bones and organs, a CAT scan machine forms a full three-dimensional computer model of a patient's insides. Doctors can even examine the body one narrow slice at a time to pinpoint specific areas.

In this edition of HowStuffWorks, we'll examine the basic idea of CAT scans. While the computer t­echnology involved is fairly advanced, the fundamental concept at work is really very simple.