The HOSPITEN Group, the leader in hospital care, has acquired a new-generation scanner - knows as CT - with a 16-channel multi-detector system. This is high-tech, modern, non-invasive equipment, able to obtain better, more reliable images in less time that other equipment used to date. This constitutes (amongst other advantages) a great step in as much in the diagnosis of established illnesses, as in the prevention and early diagnosis of other conditions - this is because of the equipment's greater sensitivity in detecting small lesions, be they tumours, abscesses or the tiniest calcium deposit in an artery.
The CT, like conventional CAT equipment, can be used for outpatients; it does not cause claustrophobia, nor does it present any greater risk than the precautions stemming from the use of ionising radiation and the injection of intravenous dye (required for the diagnosis of some conditions). However, the technique does present some advances with regard to previous equipment, and has some functions that were not possible previously. The main advantages are:
GREATER SPEED
This piece of equipment can capture up to 16 images per second and complete a full body scan in 30 seconds with a dose of radiation set at a level that does not exceed that used for a conventional TAC.
The improved speed is expressed particularly in greater comfort for patients (children tolerate it better), to such an extent that the number of sedations has been significantly reduced. By being quicker, it is a safer means of assessing the extent of the damage in injured patients or in life-or-death situations.
GREATER RELIABILITY
The CT allows a greater amount of data to be collected in less time, which means a greater quantity of information on the normal condition or illness of even the smallest parts of the human body with distinctions being made between the various organs and tissues. All of this is expressed in a large number of images that the radiologist examines subsequently in order to produce his/her report.
Moreover, the CT allows the reconstruction of three-dimensional images of any part of the body. This makes it easier, in particular for surgeons and orthopaedic surgeons, to make surgical decisions about complex areas like the head, spinal column or small bones in the hands and feet.
The possibility of obtaining a quicker, more reliable diagnosis means, both in general and in a great number of patients, shorter decisions times as regards treatment and, in the case of hospitalised patients/inpatients, reductions in the amount of time spent in hospital.
EARLY DIAGNOSIS
Allowing smaller lesions to be examined in a non-invasive way constitutes a highly effective tool in the preventive examination of patients with risk factors from a specific illness.
This find will be of particular benefit patients at risk from cardiovascular diseases (examination for detecting calcium in the coronary and carotid arteries, amongst others), lung cancer (detection of small nodules that may be malignant) or bowel cancer.
VIRTUAL COLONOSCOPY
The CT allows virtual colonoscopies to be carried out by navigating virtually through the inside of the colon. It is believed that the majority of cancers on the colon originate from polyps. Those having a diameter of 1 cm are usually benign; however, as they increase in size, they present a greater risk of being malignant. For this reason, their early detection is vital.
ANGIOGRAMS
Angiography by CT represents an extraordinary advance in the acquisition of angiographic images of the arteries. With an injection of dye into a vein in the arm, images of the arteries and veins in the legs, abdomen, head or neck can be obtained. This avoids a great number of problems for patients, in being a simple, quick, highly-sensitive, specific technique that is non-invasive and of great use in the diagnosis of peripheral vascular diseases. It is also very useful as a means of screening prior to treatment.
For more information: HOSPITEN Rambla
Rambla General Franco, 127
38001 S/C Tenerife - Spain
+34 922 53 16 09
