VELLORE:The Department of Radiology of the Christian Medical College Hospital has acquired a `7.5 crore, state-of-the-art, high definition CT scanner, up to a 100 times faster than other scanners in the country. With its ultra-high sampling rate, it can provide a spatial resolution of 230 microns while reducing the radiation dose by 50 percent. The CT scanner is expected to serve over a thousand patients a year and will be used to train doctors, radiographers and paramedics.
Terming the launch of this machine as a landmark in the history of the hospital, CMC director Dr Sunil Chandy said, “What makes this scanner unique is that it is non-invasive (catheters not needed) and it can capture images of heart vessels while the heart is still beating.”
This revolutionary technique makes it possible for patients to be assessed in less than a minute using an Advanced Reconstruction Technique, he added.
The CT scanner is partly funded by United States Agency for International Development and American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (USAID-ASHA). The CMC hospital has received funding from USAID-ASHA since 1892 enabling CMC to reach out to the poor and needy in the region in addition to maintaining its premier position in delivering high quality, subsidized patient care, with the help of the latest technology, Dr Chandy added.
The head of the Department of Radiology, Dr Shymamkumar, said that the CT scanner will help the imaging of the aorta, coronary and pulmonary arteries simultaneously for patients with heart diseases. Vascular imaging can provide robust information of various diseases like dilation and narrowing of blood vessels.
The three dimensional reconstructions produced by the machine will help with complex surgeries and interventional procedures, he added.
The ‘gemstone’ technology used by the machine helps to reduce metal-induced artifacts thereby providing accurate evaluation of post-operative cases. The CT scanner will also help in researching the effects of atherosclerosis, he added.
