Battle Creek Health System installs 64-Slice CT scanner
 Battle Creek Health System has installed the latest computed tomography (CT) imaging software and machinery, also known as a 64-slice CT scanner. While current generation CT scanners are fine for most applications, the newly installed device produces precise diagnostic pictures within 5 to 10 seconds, enabling one to 'freeze' motion and better define certain disease processes.
Computed Tomography (CT), also known as 'CAT Scan,' is a medical diagnostic tool that allows the visualization of internal structures within the body. This helps physicians in diagnosing disease, viewing internal abnormalities and assessing the extent of trauma damage.
The new scanner installed at BCHS is the GE LightSpeed VCT 64. Features include improved post-processing to generate three-dimensional images for treatment planning and increased fine detail resolution than was possible with current 16-slice scanners.
"By providing a non-invasive study that can quickly distinguish blocked from normal coronary arteries, we can determine who is and is not at high risk of having a heart attack," says Michael Ancil, BCHS director of medical imaging services. "This can reduce the time a patient must spend in the emergency department, or eliminate the need for hospitalization if the exam is normal.
The scanner will also be used for other important applications, such as identifying narrowed brain arteries that put patients at risk of having a stroke, and for evaluating blood flow in other organs such as the liver and kidney. Developing specific clinical protocols for scanning patients with certain kinds of symptoms will be a continuing process.
Here is how it works. During a typical CT procedure, the patient is placed on a table. The table then moves the patient through the donut-shaped device called a gantry, which houses an X-ray tube. For each image acquired, the X-ray tube rotates around the patient and the X-rays pass through the body to the detector housing. The computer then processes this information and displays the corresponding images on a computer screen.
"The CT exam creates images similar to a single slice of bread from the whole loaf. Hence the word 'slice' is often used to describe a view of the patient anatomy," says Dr. Steven Yuill, BCHS medical director of radiology. "The computer allows health care professionals to shade, rotate, correlate, and measure the anatomy in the image. This data can be refined to derive even more precise clinical information."
"Within just the last few years, CT scanning technology has made incredible strides as a diagnostic tool," says Ancil. "The technical gold standard was 16-slice, which required the patient to hold their breath for 25- to 40-seconds in the time it took to perform the scan, as compared to 8-12 seconds with the new 64-slice CT scanner."
Battle Creek Health System offers the area's most complete diagnostic testing capabilities. The BCHS main campus includes positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, computed tomography (CT) 16- and 64-slice, PET/CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a range of other diagnostic tools. At the BCHS Beckley Road imaging facility, next to the hospital's new Beckley Road Urgent Care, are an 'open' MRI, 16-slice CT, and conventional X-ray imaging.
Battle Creek Health System, sponsored by two parent organizations--Trinity Health (the fourth largest Catholic health system in the U.S. with 12 hospitals, 9 nursing homes, 19 senior house facilities, 8 home health care agencies, and 4 hospices in Michigan alone) and BCHS Community Partners, is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. BCHS is a two-time recipient of the 'Distinguished Hospital Award for Patient Safety TM from HealthGrades, a leading health care information company that provides objective 'report card' ratings nationwide. BCHS provides excellent health care for the community and promotes wellness for the whole person with access and compassion for all. For the latest medical information, visit the BCHS web site at www.bchealth.com or call the BCHS Marketing Department at (269) 966-8132.
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