Mount Auburn Healthcare Connection

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“The technology of the 64-slice multi-detector has revolutionized the way we image patients using a CT scan. Better resolution, faster scan times, and faster, more powerful computers allow for better image quality,” says Edward Marianacci, M.D.,radiologist at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.

The 64-slice Computerized Tomography (CT) scanner is the newest generation of scanners. It uses X-rays to image the body’s internal organs. As the most advanced clinical CT scanner, it allows the radiology team at Mount Auburn Hospital to image a patient in seconds. “The fact that there are 64 detectors in one revolution means it scans a large segment of the patient’s body with one breath hold. The patient spends less time in the scanner, which is more comfortable for them,” says Dr. Marianacci.

Minutes later, radiologists can evaluate reconstructed images on computer screens and begin to make their diagnosis. The powerful computers also allow the radiologist to manipulate data into multiplanar 2-dimentional and 3-dimentional images.

This newest CT scanner is also equipped with software that automatically adjusts the radiation dose according to the patient’s size, which optimizes the patient’s exposure to X-rays.

“Making sure there is no motion artifact is especially important when scanning the chest,” adds Dr. Marianacci. “The heart is one organ that perpetually moves, so getting good images of it has always been a challenge for radiologists and cardiologists. The 64-slice CT scan can rapidly and clearly image the heart during the cardiac cycle by obtaining ultra thin slices. Using a 64-slice CT scan is quickly becoming an alternative method for evaluating the heart and its coronary arteries for disease.”

Today, the 64-slice CT scan allows physicians to actually see inside the heart’s vessels with amazing accuracy. “We are able to manipulate the images to look at the area of narrowing in the vessel, evaluate how much atherosclerotic plaque is present and just how severe the damage is,” says Dr. Marianacci.

Mount Auburn Hospital’s radiology team works closely with a variety of other clinical departments, including Neurology where CT scans are used to diagnose acute strokes and other neurological conditions. “We can image the brain and the blood vessels feeding the brain to look for occlusions. We can see blood collections within or around the brain very clearly, and we can beautifully evaluate bony structures.”

Radiologists use CT to look for other abnormalities, including herniated discs in the spine; pinpointing bone fractures and determining the amount of damage to bone and soft tissue in trauma patients; as well as diagnosing changes in organs, which may be a sign of cancer.

CT is particularly useful in the diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer. Lung cancer typically doesn’t produce noticeable symptoms until it’s already at an advanced stage, but CT scans are able to detect cancer in the lungs early. If a patient has already been diagnosed with lung cancer, CT is used to stage the tumor (determine how advanced the cancer is).

“The 64-slice CT scanner is an important tool to have at your disposal in the complete work-up of an ill patient. Its ability to evaluate the body for trauma, inflammation, infection or tumor is essential to the science of modern medicine,” adds Dr. Marianacci.

The team of radiologists and technologists at Mount Auburn Hospital pride themselves on their accommodating, friendly and approachable nature. “Our goals are to make the patient feel as comfortable as possible, to acquire diagnostic images rapidly and accurately, and to assist the clinicians in diagnosing disease” says Dr. Marianacci. “The 64-slice CT scanner has revolutionized the way that we accomplish this.”

To access this state-of-the-art technology, call 617-499-5094 for a Mount Auburn Hospital physician.