New state-of-the-art CT scanner

A Community Impact Board (CIB) grant approval in April was the springboard for the July installment of a new state-of-the-art multi-slice Commuted Topography (CT) scanner at San Juan Hospital.

The new Brilliance CT scanner from Philips Medical Systems features advanced technology that produces split-second high quality images, permitting doctors to see more anatomical detail in a fraction of the time needed for other tests.

With this new CT scanner, doctors at San Juan Hospital will be able to more effectively detect and treat a range of life threatening illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, stroke, and lung disease.

The possibility of discovering disease in an early stage, when a wider array of effective treatment options may be available, will help doctors make an accurate diagnosis and recommend appropriate treatment for their patients.

The CT will also contribute to more rapid assessment and decision making in trauma cases, where physicians may have to make life and death decisions within minutes.

Rodney Workman, Radiology Supervisor at the hospital, said, “A series that used to take over an hour to image is now done in minutes. This means the patient is exposed to a significantly lower amount of X-ray energy, and the doctor has an image from which to diagnose in minutes, not hours.”

There is no hospital stay required when obtaining a CT, and a scan is usually carried out with one brief breath-hold during the scan.

During the noninvasive scan, the patient is placed on a table and moved incrementally through the squared off donut-shaped scanner while an X-ray beam is projected through cross sections of their anatomy.

The X-ray energy passes through the patient and is recorded on electronic detectors in the scanner. This information is then sent to a specialized computer that reconstructs the information into individual slices and combines them sequentially into a comprehensive volume image of the entire area scanned. Patient referrals may be made through providers at any area clinics.

San Juan Hospital is also in the process of installing a new phone system which should speed delivery of consumer calls to the correct departments. Hospital officials apologize for any inconveniences encountered by patients during the installation process.

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