Our new CT Scanner lets doctors look closer
Raleigh General Hospital is excited to announce the acquisition of a new, state-of-the-art, CT imaging system from GE Healthcare. The LightSpeed® VCT is the world’s first Volume Computed Tomography
(VCT) system. Raleigh General now offers an innovative way for its physicians to obtain the information they need to diagnose disease and life threatening illnesses, including cardiovascular
disease, stroke and chest pain.
Raleigh General’s staff is now able to capture images of a beating heart in five heartbeats, an organ in one second, and perform whole body trauma in ten seconds, more than twice as fast as conventional multi-slice CT scanners. This speed is especially helpful in shortening breath holds for geriatric patients, patients who are on ventilators and pediatric patients.
“Our new Volume CT system allows our physicians to perform new and enhanced procedures and obtain the information they need to diagnosis patients who are suffering from chest pain or stroke,” says Mike Baker, Director of Imaging Services. “Volume CT is patient friendly. Fast scans can help reduce patient stress and anxiety.”
In a single rotation, the LightSpeed VCT creates 64 high-resolution anatomical images as thin as a credit card. To get a better idea of how this works, imagine the body as a loaf of bread and you are looking at one end of the loaf. As you remove each slice of bread, you can see the entire surface of that slice from the crust to the center. The body is seen on CAT scan slices in a similar fashion from the skin to the central part of the body being examined. When these levels are further “added” together, a three-dimensional picture of an organ or abnormal body structure can be obtained for the physicians at Raleigh General to analyze. From these images, physicians can view such things as blockages in the coronary arteries, as well as the motion and pumping action of a patient’s heart.
Compared to catheter angiography, which involves placing a catheter and injecting contrast material into an artery, CTA is a much less invasive and more patient-friendly procedure—contrast material is injected into a peripheral vein rather than an artery. This exam has been used to screen large numbers of individuals for arterial disease. Most patients have CT angiography without being admitted to a hospital.
“We’re breaking barriers in speed and accuracy of patient exams and are now able to offer new and enhanced diagnostic procedures thanks to our new LightSpeed VCT,” says Baker.
The new CT Scanner offers many benefits to patients, including:
- Diagnostic option for the workup of a cardiac patient
- Faster patient exams – capture images of a beating heart in five heartbeats, a single organ in one second, and perform whole body trauma in ten seconds
- Less time needed for breath holds, which can mean less stress for the patient
- Automated dose reduction features
- Easier access/wheelchair access to patient table – lower table height
- Breathing lights help coach patients through breath holds – making it an easier exam
