Pocahontas Memorial Hospital announced that it has successfully installed Toshiba’s Aquilion(r) 16 - an advanced computed tomography (CT) scanner from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. The system includes enhanced features for greater patient comfort and safety, faster exam times, and improved image quality for speedier diagnosis. In most large hospitals in the United States, it is estimated that CT scanning accounts for more than 10 percent of diagnostic radiology examinations.

“We have acquired one of the most advanced medical imaging systems available today to accommodate a wide array of our facility’s CT scanning needs,” said PMH Radiology Supervisor Cheryl Cain, R. T. (R)(M). “Early detection with the Aquilion 16 can result in faster, more effective diagnosis and treatment. This is particularly important when determining the extent of injuries in trauma cases, where every second counts.”

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, such as muscles, tissue, organs and fat, and bones and blood vessels all in a single image. Clinicians perform CT scans to diagnose kidney, lung, liver, spine, blood diseases, cancer, tumors and cysts, as well as blood clots, hemorrhages and infections.

During a CT exam, a patient lies on a table and is slowly moved into the large donut-shaped opening of the scanner. Once inside, a series of X-ray beams create hundreds of cross-sectional pictures that represent slices of the patient’s body. Seconds later, the system’s computer assembles the slices into three-dimensional images that are interpreted by a clinician.

The Aquilion 16 has the ability to acquire 16 anatomical slices at once, offering physicians more detailed images. Image quality is further enhanced with a fast scanning capability - 400 milliseconds to rotate around a patient’s body - that effectively reduces any image distortion from scanning moving organs. As a result, the scanner delivers more accurate clinical images depicting fine details and small vessel structures, for significantly enhanced examinations.

Multi-detector CT has dramatically improved clinicians’ ability to accurately diagnose disease at an early stage. It is a powerful diagnostic tool that uses rotating X-rays to penetrate body tissues, generating multiple slice images, which can detect more than traditional radiography. The Aquilion CT systems deliver excellent image quality and provide outstanding performance and clinical productivity to meet the needs of any size hospital or clinic.

The Aquilion CT system was installed in June in the Radiology Department at PMH. Patients will no longer go out in inclement weather to the modular building for their CT scan. The scan will be performed in-house. PMH continues to improve services to provide excellent care to the citizens of Pocahontas County and the surrounding area as well as to our many visitors.