The Mumbai-based Lilavati Hospital’s department of radiology & imaging has installed a 16 multislice (ultrafast) CT scanner, according to a hospital release.
Equipped with modern software for 3D reformatting, the machine is capable of scanning at ultra-fast speed with a sub-millimeter resolution. Technologically, Multislice Helical Computed Tomography (MSCT) is superior to Single-Slice Helical CT (SSCT) scan technology for all clinical applications.
The principal technical advantage brought forth is increased speed. This increased speed provides many benefits like improved patient tolerance due to shorter scan times as well as better temporal resolution and reduced motion artefacts.
The machine enables high-resolution temporal bone studies without the need to position patients in a head-hanging coronal position. Also, intra-cranial angiograms for aneurysms at the circle of willis can be done with high resolutions, minimal invasiveness, without the risk of complication of DSA, at a lower cost.
Neurosurgeons may use the workstation before surgery to rotate the 3D images and can understand the anatomy from all projections. CT perfusion studies can be performed for patients with tumors and strokes.
Spine imaging can be done in scan times as short as 30 seconds or less with 1 mm resolution in all planes. Patients with radiculopathy can be studied in which IV contrast enhanced MSCT may be used to distinguish soft from hard disc.
MSCT technology completely eliminates the need for conventional angiography on pre-operative and post-operative evaluation of patients with aortic aneurysms. It helps to decide which patient is a candidate for endoluminal study.
MSCT also makes thoracic and abdominal imaging easier. It is possible to evaluate hypervascular tumours and to find out the patency of hepatic and mesenteric arteries and veins.
It also makes virtual colonoscopy possible for detecting polyps, with 3D image reconstruction. Navigation through the colon is possible on the workstation with specialized software. Other uses include virtual bronchoscopy as well as skeletal imaging.