Health Imaging & IT - January 2008 - (Page 14)

Cover sTory Multidetector CT scanning is about to take the next step, with major vendors previewing their next-generation systems at radiology’s extravaganza—the Radiological Society of North America meeting in November. The newest innovations in CT scanning promise significant gains ranging from improved temporal and spatial resolution to new applications in stroke evaluation, and for all studies—less contrast media, shorter exam times and, across the board, lower radiation dose. Four new systems are slated for availability in 2008. Toshiba America Medical Systems dominates on slice count with its AquilionONE 320-slice scanner; Philips Healthcare’s answer is the Brilliance iCT 256-slice scanner. Siemens Medical Solutions touts the SOMATOM Definition Adaptive Scanner (AS), an “adaptive” scanner available in 40-, 64- and 128-count configurations. And GE Healthcare is re-defining CT through HighDefinition CT (HDCT) technology. Health Imaging & IT spoke with a few early adopters of these technologies to gain some insight into the capabilities and see what the next generation has in store. Clinically meaningful functional CT Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston is an early adopter of Toshiba’s AquilionONE CT 14 Health Imaging & IT | January 2008 scanner. “The new system enables dynamic volume imaging,” says Frank Rybicki, MD, PhD, director of cardiac CT and vascular CT/ MRI. “Using the AquilionONE, we can cover 16 cm in the cranio-caudal direction in a single gantry rotation, [thus] reinventing CT imaging and opening the door to new applications.” Prior to the introduction of AquilionONE, 64-slice volumetric imaging entailed imaging of separate pieces or sub-volumes. Sub-volumes were stitched together after the scan, a process that produces artifacts, particularly when imaging a moving organ such as in coronary CT angiography (CTA). “Dynamic volume imaging eliminates the need to put the pieces back together and the problems associated with the approach. This is especially important when iodinated contrast is moving through the heart. With a sub-volume CT scanner, iodinated contrast is imaged at a different place in every sub-volume,” explains Rybicki. Other major AquilionONE applications include CT angiography/venography and CT perfusion of the brain. With 320 x 0.5 mm slices, or 16 cm of coverage, radiologists can image the entire brain parenchyma in a single gantry rotation. The principle is similar to the heart, since whole brain scans capture the exact phase of the iodinated contrast as it tracks from the arteries to the brain parenchyma and then to the veins. “This provides vastly more information for stroke evaluation than current CT scanners,” states Rybicki, who predicts that after the clinical evidence is in, every stroke center will consider an investment in the scanner. Instead of using MRI to assess stroke, centers can potentially use CT in HealthImaging.com http://HealthImaging.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Health Imaging & IT - January 2008

Health Imaging & IT Table of Contents On the Web The Enterprise: Is More Better? News Update A Look Inside Next-Generation Multidetector CT Convention Spotlight: RSNA in Review RIS/PACS in the Imaging Center Sweden: A Study in Mammography Excellence The Votes are in: Yea for Speech in U.S. Capital & Beyond Subspecialty Reading Services: Quality Reads, Peace of Mind, 24/7 Enterprise Lung CAD Eases Workflow Advertisers Index Company Index Coming Soon Stat Sheet

Health Imaging & IT - January 2008

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