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For Stuart G. Silverman, MD, director of CT Scan, Department of Radiology, seeing is believing. Silverman and his team have been busily building up the hospital’s CT scanners. With several CT upgrades and the acquisition of several new multi-detector scanners, BWH now has the capability to acquire, analyze and report the results of CT scans faster than ever before. With these new CT scanners, BWH radiologists are providing new insights into the human body, creating images of areas such as the colon, urinary tract and the vasculature never before possible through non-invasive techniques.
Over the past several months, five new multi-detector scanners have been added or have replaced existing machines in the main CT area (on L-1 of ASB-II), the Emergency Department, the main Pike Imaging Center, on the 9th floor and at 850 Boylston Street. The most advanced CT scanner, the “Sensation 16,” provides 32 images per second.
“Scanners of this speed are bringing us closer to creating images of the beating heart,” said Silverman, explaining that previously, noninvasive imaging of the heart relied largely on ultrasounds or echocardiograms. “This new scanner eventually may allow us to image the coronary arteries non-invasively. This would be of tremendous benefit to patients.”
One of the first in the country, the “Sensation 16” arrived at BWH in July and already has enabled BWH to examine more patients each day than previously possible. Overall, the new scanners will provide more efficient scanning at a quicker pace, allowing increased access for patients.
The new scanners bring the hospital’s fleet to seven and puts BWH “ahead of the game in CT,” according to Silverman.
“We are just beginning to see the impact of this technology on patient care,” said Ray Weatherby, chief technologist, CT Scan. “The non-invasive alternatives to detecting and diagnosing disease will revolutionize medicine in the years to come.”