Latest Generation of CT Scanners Provide Science Fiction-Like View of the Body

 Medicine  

In hospitals and medical facilities of the not-too-distant future, medical imaging will be way beyond the realm of the traditional X-ray.  Already the latest generation of CT scanners is providing an unparalleled view inside our bodies, aiding diagnosis and treatment.

The ability to explore inside the human body non-invasively is a modern day medical miracle. Computed Tomography, or CT scans, as they’re more commonly known, use radiation to see inside a patient’s body.

CT scanners are often the first imaging technology many patients encounter when doctors suspect serious disease or injury. The machines use a narrow beam of X-rays processed by a computer to create slices of the body and assemble them into detailed 3D images.
Using computed tomography, doctors track organ function in real-time and do things science fiction writers in decades past could have only dreamed about.

Circle of Willis 

The set of high-resolution CT scan images in this post come from GE Healthcare’s Revolution CT, which was unveiled in a hospital setting for the first time in September of last year at West Kendall Baptist Hospital in Florida.

GE's Revolution CT delivers uncompromised image quality and clinical capabilities through the convergence of coverage, spatial and temporal resolution.

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The scanner not only produces high-quality shots of the organs, but delivers lower doses of radiation to achieve them, putting patients at greater ease and less risk.

“According to our physicians, patient feedback about their experience with the Revolution CT has been uniformly positive,” said Javier Hernández-Lichtl, CEO of West Kendall Baptist, in a GE company report. “The advanced design definitely makes for a less intimidating, more comfortable patient experience, while yielding amazingly accurate and detailed images.”

Physicians have already collected images of major blood vessels, organs, bones, and tissues. They can watch blood pump through patients’ veins and see recently installed hardware, like coronary stents, keep arteries clear as oxygen-rich blood enters the heart.

In addition, the speed of the new technology allows providers to gather information about function as well as anatomy, enabling a comprehensive stroke assessment of the brain in a single exam.

“A core component of our strategy at GE Healthcare,” said Jeff Immelt, GE chairman and CEO, “is to partner with customers to understand their clinical and operational needs, and in turn develop next-generation technology that deliver the necessary outcomes.”

SOURCE  Business Wire, GE Healthcare

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