Advanced CT goes beyond the heart

Benefits of 16-slice scanners extend to other parts of the body

By: Catherine Carrington

Although cardiac imaging dominates any discussion of clinical opportunities in advanced CT, there are many ways new technology will improve imaging in other parts of the body. In lung scanning, for example, better spatial resolution will enable visualization of blood vessels all the way out to the pleura. Breath-holding can be difficult for patients with suspected pulmonary embolus. Imaging on a 16-slice scanner instead of a four-slice scanner reduces breath-holding time by a factor of four.

In neurological imaging, submillimeter isotropic voxels improve visualization of tiny, tortuous blood vessels. Wider detectors also improve the quality of perfusion imaging by enabling a larger coverage area.

Pediatric imaging will benefit from improvements in resolution, merely because the anatomy of infants and young children is so small. In addition, faster scanning may reduce the need for sedation in some children.

Virtual endoscopy will benefit from the ability to reduce slice width and still cover a large area of anatomy. Improvements in resolution may enable detection of additional pathology and boost diagnostic confidence.

Finally, the quality of thin-slice imaging may further encourage the use of CT as a substitute for MR in musculoskeletal imaging, particularly in imaging the joints. Not only is spatial resolution crucial, but having equally good resolution in all three imaging planes means patients with musculoskeletal injuries may not have to be placed in awkward and painful positions during scanning.