Philips' Brilliance iCT boosts quality with new technology

Volume-rendered image processed from data acquired using the Philips 256-slice Brilliance iCT scanner at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, GA, shows right iliac artery stenosis and multiple calcifications on left iliac artery. Bony landmarks are ghosted in background, the result of a new visualization technique introduced by Philips to assist in planning interventions. The Marietta installation boosts the number of Philips 256-slice CTs to nine. These sites, located at medical facilities around the world, have scanned more than 6000 patients, according to Philips Healthcare. With rotational speeds up to 0.27 seconds and a detector that spans 8 cm, the iCT supports applications in trauma, cardiac, interventional, pediatric, vascular, and bariatrics, as well as general imaging. Slotted anode and dual-support spiral groove bearing built into the scanner's x-ray tube enable 120- kW imaging and focal spot integrity at high rotational speeds. 'Smart' focal spot simultaneously deflects x-ray beam in x- and z-axes to acquire double the data during each rotation. (Provided by Philips)