A revolutionary diagnostic imaging system that will debut at Community Medical Center is being hailed as a highly effective screening tool in the early detection of heart disease and other serious medical conditions, even before major symptoms occur.
Community will be the first hospital in the region with this most-advanced form of 3-D image reconstruction and analysis when it introduces the GE Healthcare’s LightSpeed® VCT — the world’s first Volume Computed Tomography (VCT) system 64-slice. |
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Joseph Triolo, M.D., chairman of Radiology at Community, says the hospital’s investment in the latest MRI and CT technology represents another step forward in meeting Community’s mission to provide patients with the most specialized, state-of-the-art care. |
The system, which will debut later this year, creates higherquality images by producing a 3-D cross-section view of a body area “slice by slice” and then completely reconstructs, displays and records the image in a matter of seconds, rather than minutes.
“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 Joseph Triolo, M.D., chairman of the Department of Radiology at Community. “The technology benefits both the physicians and
patients. We’re excited to be the first in the region to offer this
medical technology.”
The system’s multiple-imaging technology takes CT scanning to new levels of precision, clarity and speed, greatly surpassing the capabilities of traditional CTs, according to Dr. Triolo, who explains that the LightSpeed VCT creates — in a single rotation — 64 high-resolution anatomical images thinner than a credit
card. These images are combined to form a 3-D view of the patient’s anatomy, and 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.
“With this advanced system, we now are able to image the body in multiple angles at a much faster speed,” says Dr. Triolo.
“This results in higher-resolution images that provide us with more detailed views and helps to improve the detection of certain abnormalities, including coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and evaluation of liver, pancreas, renal and lung masses, as well as spinal disorders and stroke.”
Specifically, the new CT system dramatically aids in the visualization of specific areas of the body, including the lungs, heart, vascular system, brain and spinal column.
“The scanner combines unrivaled image quality with remarkable speed,” Dr. Triolo says. “It can produce detailed pictures of any organ in a few seconds and provide sharp, clear, 3-D images, including 3-D views of the blood vessels, in an instant.”
To produce a CT image, computer-driven machinery passes X-rays through the body, producing digitized signals that are detected and reconstructed. Each X-ray measurement lasts just a fraction of a second and represents a “slice” of an organ or tissue.
The greater the number of detectors, the better the speed and resolution of the picture. A computer then uses these slices to reconstruct highly detailed, 3-D images of the heart, other organs, and blood vessels throughout the body.
“This multi-slice technology has been particularly exciting for studying the beating heart, providing the first clear non-invasive images of the heart and its major vessels,” Dr. Triolo says.
“The scans can be timed to use only images gathered between breaths, so that the heart and its vessels can be seen without the blurring caused by motion.”
For James Pasquariello, M.D., chief of cardiology at Community, the new diagnostic tool also offers his patients an alternative to cardiac catheterization in the imaging of cardiac arteries.
“With this new system, we’ll be able to capture images of the whole heart and coronary arteries in just five heartbeats – providing clearer images of cardiovascular anatomy and a shorter breath hold, which is particularly important for acute or chronically ill and elderly patients,” he says.
Pointing to the three primary causes of mortality in patients with chest pain — aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism and coronary artery disease — Dr. Pasquariello notes that Community now has a tool to help physicians rule out or diagnose these three individual causes of patient’s chest pain through a
single quick scan.
To learn more about the LightSpeed VCT and other diagnostic imaging services at Community Medical Center, call 1-888-SBHS-123.
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