64-slice CT sanner works quickly

These days technology makes it possible for doctors to take a virtual look inside the body. At Piedmont Medical Center, the arrival of a 64-slice CT (computed tomography) scanner is giving doctors a new and better view of the heart and its arteries. 

With this advanced equipment, Piedmont Medical Center also has a powerful new tool for diagnosing conditions such as heart disease.

Leading-edge technology

CT scanners use x-rays and computers to create thin, cross-sectional images of the inside of the body, like slices from a bread loaf. A computer processes the "slices" of anatomy into highly detailed 3-D pictures, which can be viewed on a screen. Doctors at Piedmont Medical Center have long used CT scanners to noninvasively evaluate patients with medical conditions or injuries. Now, with the speedy new 64-slice scanner, they can image the heart and arteries in five beats.

A quick scan

The scanner's speed also makes the experience easier for patients, who need to hold their breath for only a very short time during the procedure, an advantage over previous CT scanners.  

Heart imaging

With its faster speed and powerful computer, the new scanner will make it possible to offer new cardiac imaging tests, including an outpatient exam called a CT coronary angiogram. The quick scan can detect narrowed or blocked coronary arteries that can set the stage for a heart attack. And it may offer some patients a noninvasive alternative to a traditional angiogram, which involves inserting a catheter to image the coronary arteries in search for signs of heart disease. With the new scanner, doctors can also get a highly detailed look at the health of blood vessels elsewhere in the body, including those that supply the brain and legs. It can also help with rapid evaluation of trauma patients.

But when it comes to cardiac imaging, the 64-slice scanner especially shines."With this advanced imaging system,we can capture higher-resolution imagesof the heart and blood vessels, which enhances our ability to evaluate patientsand diagnose conditions such as heart disease," says Edward McKinney, M.D., aradiologist at Piedmont Medical Center. "This is one of the ways in which we're using the latest technology to benefit our patients."

Expanded CT services

The 64-slice scanner adds to the medical center's capabilities, but it isn't the only CT scanner in use here. Both a 4- and a 16-slice scanner are available and highly capable of meeting a variety of imaging needs, including routine outpatient scans of the sinuses, spine, abdomen or pelvis, or emergency room procedures. And those are just a few of the imaging services Piedmont Medical Center provides.