Faster Diagnosis? New Imaging Tech Has You Covered

At Lee Health’s Gulf Coast Medical Center (GCMC), the newest technology for imaging provides amazing results while shortening procedure times—giving back patients and their healthcare providers the gift of time.

GCMC recently became the first U.S. healthcare institution to install the Somatom X.ceed, a computed tomography (CT) scanner that provides faster and more precise diagnoses. Designed for all diagnostic procedures with an emphasis on cardiac and trauma imaging, it combines high-speed scanning capabilities and a level of resolution previously unseen in other single-source CT systems.

Dr. William Hearn, a diagnostic radiology specialist at GCMC, says several key design features of the Somatom X.ceed differentiate it from other CT scanners.

Design features of the Somatom X.ceed

1. It has the fastest rotation speed on a single-source CT. This reduces motion artifacts when scanning moving structures such as the heart.
2. It has the fastest scan speed, which yields a consistent image quality across the entire field of view.
3. The scanner has the smallest focal point, which increases resolution to better aid in the detection of deep-seated small and medium lesions.
4. It has significant power reserves and power, enabling a high level of image quality for larger patients while keeping their exposure dose low.

Background

Computed tomography is one of the most common imaging tests for procedures such as biopsies, ablations (a minimally invasive procedure doctors use to destroy abnormal tissue), or pain therapy.

Take CT cardiac procedures, for example. The use of CT for cardiovascular diseases has more than doubled in the past 10 years. These procedures, some of the most complex in computed tomography, rely on time and precision to achieve successful outcomes.

That’s where the Somatom X.ceed shines. Staff members using the Somatom X.ceed are aided by myExam Companion, an interface that helps imaging experts interact with the patient while navigating the medical imaging procedure. This makes CT scan procedures easier and less complex regardless of the user, patient, or procedure.

The myExam Companion combines patient data such as gender and age with other user patient-specific information—for example, a patient’s electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform for a cardiac study—to optimize the procedure for each patient.

The result is a system that achieves high-speed and high spatial resolutions, which are key for cardiac, emergency, and spectral imaging. The result is quicker procedures, from patient preparation to image evaluation.

But wait, there’s more. The myNeedle Companion, an application for 3D CT-guided interventional procedures, allows the radiologist to concentrate on what matters: accurate needle positioning with the help of the myNeedle Laser.  The software can be operated tableside with a tablet computer and joystick.

“This hardware and software components of the Somatom X.ceed, myExam Companion, and myNeedle Companion create a system that helps Gulf Coast Medical physicians perform complex interventions with greater confidence,” Dr. Hearn says. “Lee Health remains committed to excellence and dedicated to providing patients with the most innovative, high-quality care available.”