Experts: Scanner speeds process

The new equipment is quicker, safer and better for kids, a radiologist said.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- In a heartbeat -- actually in about five heartbeats -- the new-age LightSpeed VCT 64-slice scanner at St. Elizabeth Health Center produces three-dimensional, unblurred images of the heart that dramatically speed up diagnosis.
Unlike older CT scanners, which are too slow to stop movement, the VCT (volume computed tomography) scanner technology produces images of moving parts of the body, such as the heart, by taking X-rays rapidly.
The VCT scanner divides the heart or other parts of the body into 64 imaginary slices that provide doctors with startlingly clear, detailed images in seconds, allowing them to more accurately diagnose a wider variety of patient conditions, such as neurology, oncology and trauma, hospital officials said.
Among the advantages of the VCT scanner's speed is less exposure of the patient to radiation because less time is needed to take the image, said Susan Nespeca, director of the St. Elizabeth Department of Radiology.
Also, the stop-action X-ray images provide diagnostic information that in many cases make invasive, dangerous and time-consuming coronary catheterizations unnecessary, said Dr. B. David Collier, St. Elizabeth radiologist.
Much quicker
In a catheterization, a probe is inserted into a blood vessel in the groin and snaked up toward the heart. A dye is released in the blood vessels that shows blockages in an X-ray image, called an angiogram. The process can take several hours and there is a danger of damaging artery walls, hospital officials said.
The LightSpeed VCT imaging system delivers up to 73 percent more coverage per second over previous CT technology. This allows physicians, with one noninvasive scan, to quickly rule in or out life-threatening causes of emergency room chest pain, officials said.
The system's speed is also a useful diagnostic tool for children who may find it difficult to stay still for long periods of time, or combative patients, said Peggy Gocala, CT technologist and CT coordinator at St. Elizabeth's.
The LightSpeed VCT scan takes just 10 seconds to clearly reveal blockages in arteries going to the heart that cause heart attacks and heart disease, the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States, Dr. Collier said.
"It's a major advance and wonderful for the community to have this technology. It may change the management of coronary care," he added.
Also, he said, it is American technology, designed and built in Milwaukee, Wis.
May ease patients' fears
The most powerful diagnostic tool for heart disease is still family and medical history provided through the family physician, Dr. Collier said.
But many people do not come forward for treatment because of denial or fear. The VCT scanner should help in this area. It makes diagnosis quicker, less dangerous and easier on the patient, Dr. Collier said.
"The addition of the LightSpeed VCT system complements and extends the range of quality diagnostic services that St. Elizabeth offers," Nespeca said.
"It provides us with vastly improved image quality and speed, enhancing the overall diagnostic confidence we have in all our studies," Nespeca said.
Also, she said, with the addition of the VCT scanner, the older CT scanners are freed up for other purposes and more patients can be diagnosed more quickly.
alcorn@vindy.com