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New "Super X-Ray"
64-Slice CT Scan
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| Main Resource Page | Radiographic testing |
Computerized (Axial) Tomography, or CAT Scan [CT Scan]
 “SUPER X-RAY” - CT SCAN TECHNOLOGY, 64-SLICE CT
A type of super X-ray showed promise in its first big test as a potentially cheaper, faster and painless way to find out whether certain people with heart disease actually have it, how advanced it may be and if it requires treatment.
The scan would eliminate for 1.3 million cardiac catheterizations done each year to check for plaque build up in arteries.
The scans are a little controversial and Medicare and other insurers are debating whether to pay for them. Many heart specialists oppose them, partly because they supply a big dose of radiation (10 times more radiation to a patient than a standard angiogram). The increased radiation dose might include significant risk factors until studies prove otherwise.
 The scan technology has actually been on the market two years (as of December 2007), and is already used by many hospitals. It uses 64 detectors to produce and combine images (slices) and the pictures are so detailed that they are described as an almost “surgical view.”
A CT scan is an x-ray procedure which combines many x-ray images with the aid of a computer to generate cross-sectional views of the body. Originally developed in the 1970s, CT or CAT scans combine the power of X-ray technology and computers, allowing physicians the ability to view thin cross-sections of the internal anatomy without the need for exploratory surgery. CT exams are used when people are ill or injured, or when a doctor suspects a medical problem that is not easily detectable from a conventional physical examination. The non-invasive 64 Slice CT assists physicians in the diagnosis of a variety of anatomical areas, such as the spine, head, abdomen and chest, including detailed imaging of the heart.
The scans were tested against the gold standard method of checking for heart disease using angiograms (cardiac catheterization), where a tube is placed in a blood vessel in the groin and maneuvered near the heart, then special dye infused so the arteries show up on x-ray. Blockages that require treatment are revealed and angioplasties performed accordingly.
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