Gritman Medical Center is proud to offer our patients the new Aquilion 16 multi-slice CT System (also called a CAT Scanner) from Toshiba.

The new CT scanner benefits our Emergency Department patients, cancer patients and people with a host of illnesses by delivering faster, more accurate diagnoses of injury and disease. The new scanner cuts the average exam time by 50 percent or more, and in some instances, can complete a traditional 30 minute exam in only ten seconds.

The CT scanner creates hundreds of cross-sectional pictures that represent slices of the patient’s body. Seconds later, the system’s computer assembles the slices into images that are interpreted by our radiologists. In fact, the CT is so fast that it can rotate around a patient’s body in one-half second.

As a result, the technology is able to capture images of the body’s rapidly moving organs like the heart and lungs, which appear blurry when scanned by traditional CT systems. It is also especially useful for examining patients who are unable to hold their breath, like trauma victims, acutely ill patients and young children.

While CT uses X-ray technology, it is distinguished from other imaging tools like traditional X-ray and MRI by its ability to display a combination of soft tissue (like muscles, tissue, organs and fat), bones and blood vessels in a single image. CT has become one of the most important tools used to diagnose head and spine injuries, lung and liver disease, cancer, tumors, cysts, blood clots, hemorrhages, infections and numerous other diseases and illnesses.

In addition, the CT provides crystal clear 3-D pictures of anatomical structures like aneurysms, tumors and infections. When our physicians can better see what’s inside their patient, they are able to make more accurate diagnoses.

“Residents do not need to leave our community to have access to the outstanding CT technology,” said Jody Polley, Director of Radiology. “For trauma patients, this technology can be lifesaving by providing better, more precise images of bones, organs and internal bleeding than older CT systems. For patients with blood clots, infections, and diseases like cancer, early diagnosis with our 16 multi-slice CT can result in faster, more effective treatment.”

Gritman installed the CT system at the end of 2004 and has had staff attend an intensive training program that focuses not only on the new CT system, but also the 3-D workstation. Gritman has six CT technologists on staff.