Abstract: A computed tomography system has an arrangement for indicating the staged position of a patient in relation to the location of a first scan by the system. The arrangement includes at least one energy beam source, such as a laser, which projects a visible pattern on the surface of the patient. The pattern corresponds to the central alignment of the system and to the location of the first scan of the system when a patient-supporting table is subsequently translated into a gantry of the system for x-ray examination. The pattern includes a central longitudinal line indicating a central longitudinal plane of the area to be scanned, and a transverse line indicating the location of the transverse plane of the first scan. The energy beam source of the arrangement is adjustable to project an angled line which corresponds to a tilted gantry or a tilted patient, or a tilted supporting table to indicate the location of the transverse plane of the first scan of the system.