64-Slice CT Scanner Installed at St. Alexius
Posted on 5/1/2009
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A 64-slice CT scanner was recently installed in the Radiology Department at St. Alexius, replacing the previous 16-slice scanner that will now be used as a back-up. 64-slice referrers to the number of images the machine takes of the body in a matter of seconds, to form a three dimensional image for radiologists to analyze. This means the new scanner takes better quality images with a higher resolution, and takes these high-quality images at a much faster rate than other CT scanners.
This is the first of its kind in the Bismarck area and will be very beneficial to patients. “This technology is the first of its kind in the region and will be very beneficial to patients,” says Brent Herbel, MD, interventional radiologist at St. Alexius Medical Center. “Now, we will have the ability to scan the entire body in just a few seconds, where previous machines take much longer. As a result, patients will experience less exposure to radiation.” For cardiac patients, this new machine means physicians can view the coronary arteries to detect a blockage rather than performing an invasive procedure. Trauma patients benefit from the speed of the machine because for them, life or death can be a matter of minutes.