Radiologists glow with pride

Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH) received a new 256-slice Siemens 128 Dual Source CT Scanner, replacing an aging 4-slice scanner.

RCH’s CT Supervisor, Julie Richmond, says, “The new system is a great source of pride for the hospital and directly supports the hospital’s mandate as centre of excellence in cardiac, trauma and neurosciences care.”

The new CT system requires only a fraction of the radiation dose required by the previous generation of scanners. “This improved speed means that patients no longer have to hold their breath during a thorax or heart CT,” adds Richmond. “This is a special benefit for children, comatose and intubated patients.”
The new technology

As a dual source CT system, it features two x-ray tubes that simultaneously revolve around the patient’s body. Each x-ray tube can work at a different energy level (dual energy approach) resulting in two data sets that allow the display of tissue and fluids and facilitate the distinction of vessels, bones and soft tissue.  Dual energy imaging (also known as spectral imaging) is a revolutionary technique that allows a CT scanner to actually detect the chemical composition of a tissue.

In addition to the installation of the new CT system, the scanning room was given a cosmetic facelift including a new picture skylight.  The new system was installed in September 2009.