Dynamic Volume CT Scanner Designed to Speed Up Diagnosis and Ease Radiation Concerns

The world's first dynamic volume computed tomography (CT) scanner has been developed, which can scan a heart in a single heartbeat while administering just one-fifth of the radiation dose of conventional scanners.

Called the Aquilion One, developed by Toshiba Medical Systems (Tokyo, Japan), the new 320-slice CT machine is the first to allow radiologists to view continuous four-dimensional (4D; similar to video) real-time images of the heart and brain without the patient having to move up and down through the scanner.

With its 16-cm detector--five times the size of conventional 64-slice CT scanners--and its dynamic volume CT imaging, clinicians will now be able to observe blood flow (perfusion), movement, and other functions of entire organs, and in precise detail. This coverage of the body will eliminate the need to combine separate scans of organs that fit within the detector area.

Using the Aquilion One, cardiac scanning administers approximately 20% of the radiation dose of a 64-slice conventional CT scanner, and reduces radiation doses by 50% in scans for acute stroke. "Until now, concerns regarding radiation have prevented doctors using more CT to assess the heart and brain,” said Dr. Russell Bull, consultant radiologist at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital (UK). "However, this technology allows very fast and accurate scanning of these organs using much lower radiation doses.”

The new technology will also provide additional benefits for doctors, patients, and hospital managers. The CT system's high-resolution, dynamic volume imaging may reduce the need for multiple scans and invasive procedures, which are frequently more expensive, time-consuming, and less comfortable for the patient.

The system scans extremely quickly, taking just one revolution (0.35 seconds) to scan an entire organ, unlike conventional systems, which revolve many times. For patients presenting with chest pain, the entire heart can be scanned in a single heartbeat. It can also scan one area continuously, providing extremely quick and more precise information on the functionality of an organ. For patients presenting with acute stroke symptoms, just one examination taking no more than 60 seconds can provide critical data on blood flow through the brain including vascular analysis measures. This information could to be key to improving the rapid assessment and treatment of acute stroke.

Other organs can also be seen functioning, such as the lungs as the patient breathes in and out, and joints as the patient flexes them. "With the volume scanning on the Aquilion One, I can see things that I never saw on any 64-slice scanner. This gives me unique diagnostic information,” stated Dr. Patrik Rogalla, chief radiologist and director of the CT division the Charité University Hospital, Berlin (Germany), the first center to install the new scanner in Europe.

The Aquilion One took 10 years to develop and at a cost of US$500 million. The new system has recently been installed in an additional two European university hospital centers. Announcements of UK installations are expected to follow.

Commenting on the European launch of the new scanner, Mark Hitchman, UK general manager of CT Systems at Toshiba Medical Systems, said, "The development of the Aquilion One is a major step-change in the field of CT scanning technology. Its speed of acquisition, coupled with its reduced radiation doses will have a significant impact on the way we use computerized tomography and how we diagnose serious health conditions. It may also open doors to new clinical applications which we never deemed possible.”

Toshiba Medical Systems Corp., an independent group company of Toshiba Corp., is a global leading manufacturer of diagnostic medical imaging systems and comprehensive medical solutions such as CT, cath and electrophysiology (EP) labs, X-ray, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and information systems.


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