TAZEWELL (PRESS RELEASE) – Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital (CTCH) recently installed a new computed tomography (CT) scanner called the Definition AS. The Definition AS is built to adapt to any patient and clinical need – pediatric, obese, trauma, etc. – thus enabling the performance of virtually any study necessary.
CT scanning is an imaging method that uses X-rays to generate cross-sectional pictures of the body. Detectors inside the scanner measure the amount of X-rays blocked by body structures and the computer translates this information into images.
"Our new CT scanner can perform multiple images at once and is much faster than our previous model," explains Sharon Bass, vice president of imaging at Carilion Clinic. "The number of patient benefits the new machine provides is tremendous."
Benefits of the Definition AS include an innovative X-ray tube design which blocks unnecessary radiation. The scanner has the ability to control radiation dose and adapt to the clinical need. Also, an opening 12 percent larger than standard openings and a patient weight capacity of up to 660 lbs. allows patient to be comfortably scanned.
Bass concludes, "The Definition AS can image even the smallest structures and their pathologies, permitting us to perform new studies. Additionally, it uses state-of-the-art software to create images at extremely high resolution. It can provide full coverage of any organ which adds a complete new dimension in CT imaging for tumor, stroke, and organ evaluation."
The new CT scanner will begin use at CTCH this week.
