A powerful new Phillips 256-slice CT Scanner is now in clinical use at NorthBay Medical Center. Installed last month at a total cost of $2,300,000, the Brilliance iCT computed tomography (CT) scanner combines power, speed and coverage to produce extremely high-resolution images with reduced radiation exposure.

“This is an important addition to our diagnostic imaging department,” says Jerry Wilcox, director of diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy. “It allows us to perform detailed analysis of very complex anatomy within seconds and helps us keep up with the request for CT scans from our trauma and stroke services.”

The scanner produces 256 slices of information during each rotation, in only 0.27 seconds. A scan from head to toe can be acquired in about 10 seconds.

“This speed can be extremely important for time-critical exams for small children, trauma and areas of the body that move, such as the beating heart,” according to Wilcox. “And, faster scans mean a lower radiation dose and shorter breath-holds, making CT scanning easier for patients.”

It now takes about 5 seconds on the scanner, and less than one second of x-ray exposure, to get detailed images of the heart and its coronary arteries. This scanner is fast enough to get motionless pictures of the heart despite heart rates of up to 100 beats per minute.