New Technology Academy opened in Germany
Hitachi Medical Systems has opened its European Technology Academy in Dusseldorf
CT
Radiation Treatment Planning
Radiotherapy treatment planning relies on transversal CT images. They form a basis for treatment planning, dose calculation and increasingly the plan localization for external radiation therapy, called CT simulation. A dedicated CT scanner for radiotherapy plan simulation is one of the most essential pieces of equipment in a modern radiotherapy department. In contrast to external beam…
Heart-Rate Adaptive CT Image Reconstruction
The advent of multislice computed tomography has made coronary artery imaging with computed tomography (CT) a clinical reality. When a CT scanner with 16 detector rows is used, scan times are within the breathholding capabilities of most patients. The latest generation of CT scanners with 64 detector rows has reduced the scan time to 6-10 seconds, which is suitable for examining all but the most…
Cardiac CT
Along with a high local resolution, the cardiac CT imaging also requires a high time resolution where the image data acquisition must be synchronised with the cardiac cycle by means of parallel ECG recording, and the measuring volume must be acquired in a single breathhold cycle. The multi-slice CT copes well with these requirements as it allows for acquiring continuous volume data sets of the…
Sure Start
The use of state-of-the-art helical CT scanners allows for ultra fast examination of larger regions of the body. Due to the short examination time, optimum utilization of the intravenous contrast medium bolus is of extreme importance. The Sure Start function grants this in a very simple way.
Technical Insights into the Dual-slice CT
In 1999, the Aquillion/MULTI and Asteion/MULTI multi-slice systems with highly integrated 34-channel detector system, both consisting of a total of 30,464 detector elements, were introduced. On the basis of such a structured detector matrix, a new image reconstruction procedure was used. This so called MUSCOT (Multislice Conebeam Tomography) procedure made the dream of an isotropic voxel in the…
High Resolution Protocol Optimization
Since the introduction of multi-slice computerized tomography (MS-CT), several authors have reported an increased exposure to radiation when using the manufacturer-specific protocols compared with the previous technique of single-slice computerized tomography (SS-CT). On the basis of comprehensive dose measurements conducted on a phantom, a study by S. M. Giacomuzzi et al reported that the mean…
Procedure and Clinical Value of CT Fluoroscopy
The past several years, interventions using ultrasound for real-time image monitoring in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures have increasingly been integrated into the daily clinical routine. Limitations due to image-distorting physical effects, such as the total reflection at the soft tissue/lung boundary, are associated with the use of ultrasound. CT fluoroscopy on the other hand enables…
Contrast Harmonic Imaging (CHI)
Case 1 50-year-old male with a colorectal cancer. Greyscale imaging clearly shows the lesion, as an echogenic 3 cm mass (Fig.l a), which must be considered as suspicious for a metastasis from his colorectal cancer but benefit of the doubt must be given. Colour Doppler (Fig. 1b) is not helpful. At 33 seconds after SonoVue injection (early sinusoidal phase), Vascular Recognition Imaging (VRI)…
Multi-slice CT: Learning from experience
The Netherlands - September '00 - A good example of one of the discussions was the general issue of dose reduction. All participants agreed that it would be a challenge to be able to realise this, although this should definitely not interfere with the image quality. An interesting challenge for the users as well as the manufacturers! Many interesting topics were presented during the seminar, of…
Dose Efficiency Index (DEI)
Image quality has been the most important criterion in CT scanner development for both radiologists and manufacturers, due to the diagnostic value of these systems. Recently, considerable concern has been expressed about the radiation dose to patients from CT examinations because: - CT delivers a higher dose than conventional film-screen examinations - Technological advances in CT have…
CT Fluoroscopy
In recent years, interventional procedures using realtime image control by means of Ultrasound have been increasingly integrated into the clinical routine as diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. However, a series of limitations in ultrasound result tram physical effects that interfere with the image. Combining fluoroscopy with a computed tomograph (CT) results in a procedure that enables…
16-slice Case Studies
65-year-old woman who had an aorta dissection in 1994. The ascending aorta and thearcus were replaced. In 2000, the patient underwent descendes replacement after suffering from an aneurysm. The patient was referred to the Aquilion 16 slice for evaluation of the aorta and measurement of the remaining aorta.
Aquilion 16 - A new CT concept in optimized patient care
Two university hospitals in Germany and Japan were the first worldwide to receive the Aquilion 16 high resolution computed tomograph (CT) from Toshiba Medical Systems for simultaneous recording of 16 body slices with extremely high image resolution. A computed tomography Aquilion 16 was put into operation on October 7, 2002 at the central campus of Charite Berlin (Figure 1). This is the third…
ADSL Teleradiology at Medway Maritime Hospital
The Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham in Kent is an acute general hospital with a catchment population of 340,000 and has a very busy multi-specialized radiology department undertaking about 160,000 examinations a year. The department has recently acquired a new Toshiba Aquilion Multi-slice CT scanner. With this came the opportunity and demand to increase its use particularly outside normal…
Head and Neck Imaging
Multislice computed tomography (MS CT), which was introduced to clinical imaging as fourslice detectors in 1998 has fully proven its superior performance over conventional scanner technology. For example, it provides optimized resolution of detail and increased scan speed. Simultaneously, this technology has opened new indications for computed tomography, for example, in heart imaging. However,…
Innovative Treatment Approaches in Radiotherapy
An interview with Dr. Ulrich Thalacker on the work carried out by Baden-Wuerttemberg's only practice administering radiotherapy, based on computerassisted 3D therapy planning and 'unconventional' use of a CT scanner as a module of the radiation planning system.
Interventional Neuroradiology
In Johns Hopkins therapeutic radiology, we perform 2,600 procedures in neurointervention and 14,000 peripheral interventions each year, totalling over 16,000 image-guided procedures a year in 14 rooms. We changed our approach to image guided therapy in June 2001, when we installed a new O.5 mm multidector CT (Aquilion, Toshiba America Medical Systems) and two 3D visualization workstations (Vital…
New Image Guided Therapy Suites at Sick Kids
In May 2001, the world's first CT-XR hybrid suite for image guided therapy in paediatrics was put into operation. The new Centre for Image Guided Therapy (IGT) at The Hospital for Sick Children allows surgeons and interventional radiologists to do something that's never been done before - work side-by-side when diagnosing and treating children. A total of 4 interventional suites were equipped…
Aquilion 32
With the launch of the Aquilion 32, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation continues at the forefront of computed tomography (CT) technology. The most advanced 32-slice CT scanner available, the Aquilion provides increased patient comfort and the most flexible choice of speed and accuracy in CT scanning.
A Small Primer on the Clinical Use of MSCT for Heart Exams
Because of the rapid technical and scientific development over the past few years, multislice computer tomography of the heart has become increasingly established in the clinical routine. This requires, among other things, knowledge of the anatomy of the coronary arteries, the meaningful evaluation of the calcium score and the appropriate reproduction of the function of the left ventricle.
Advancing Pediatric Imaging with 16-Slice CT
Pediatric imaging presents many unique and difficult challenges to the radiologist. Correct and rapid diagnosis is extremely important in pediatric imaging and to that end we constantly strive for tests that offer more information, accuracy and versatility. However, it is also our duty to provide tests that are safe and minimise exposure to ionizing radiation. In recent months there has been…
Methods and Results of Radiation Exposure Reduction Using Multislice CT
The number of CT examinations undertaken over the past few years has increased remarkably worldwide due to the new diagnostic possibilities afforded by multislice computer tomography (MSCT). As the new technology is gaining ground, many researchers and radiologists are looking for ways to reduce patient radiation exposure. In 2001, Giacomuzzi et al.1 of Innsbruck reported an up to 2.6-fold…
Optimization of Temporal and Spatial Resolution for Cardiac CT Diagnostics
Further developments in computer and detection technology over the last few months and years have made it possible to overcome, to a large degree, the previously limitations of medical computer tomography in spatial and temporal resolution, and thus to permit “detail-true” representation of the beating heart. The diagnostic workflow and computer-tomographic diagnosis of the heart using the…
New Breath for the Avignonnaise Radiology
Twenty years ago, during the construction of the Henri Duffaut Hospital in the community of Avignon, on the banks of the Durance, we transferred our radiology service at the Hospital St. Marthe (today the University Centre of Avignon, classified as a historical monument by the government) to the first floor of the new hospital. Over the years, our service has been restructured and adapted to the…
