Banner Good Samaritan installs latest generation of CT scanner

Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center
1111 E. McDowell Road
Phoenix, AZ 85006
Contact: Craig Fischer
(602) 239-4725

"each patient undergoing a CT scan will experience a shorter exam, which may lead to an even more rapid diagnosis and treatment."

-Kathy Altergott,
Medical Imaging Administrative Director

PHOENIX (June 28, 2005) – Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has installed the world's fastest, most powerful computed tomography (CT) system, making exams shorter and more accurate than ever before. The CT scanner, also called a CAT scanner, has become one of the most important tools to diagnose head and spine injuries, lung and liver disease, cancer, tumors, blood clots, internal bleeding and other diseases and illnesses.

Banner Good Samaritan's new CT, called the Aquilion 64 CFX from Toshiba America Medical Systems, cuts the average CT exam time by 50 percent or more. This means that each patient undergoing a CT scan will experience a shorter exam, which may lead to an even more rapid diagnosis and treatment. A second unit will be installed in mid-July.

The new system delivers unmatched clinical images through multi-slice imaging technology. This technology captures up to 64 simultaneous anatomical slices of 0.5 mm in a single gantry rotation. In many cases, the greater the number of slices, the better the resolution of the picture since there is less movement by the subject.

The scanner can rotate around a patient's body in only half a second. As a result, the multi-slice technology is among the first that is quick enough to capture images of the body's rapidly moving organs like the heart and lungs, which appear blurry when scanned by traditional CTs. Multi-slice imaging also is especially useful for examining patients who are unable to hold their breath, like trauma victims, acutely ill patients and young children.

Studies like chest exams, which used to take 20-30 minutes to perform with conventional 4-slice CT technology, can now be completed in just 20 seconds. A heart exam can be conducted in just five heart beats. A complete brain image can be seen in just two passes of the scanner. Not only is a speedy CT scan less taxing on patients, but Banner Good Samaritan expects to greatly increase its exam capacity – which means more patients can be treated faster.

"Banner Good Samaritan acquired the new Aquilion 64 CFX CT scanners to provide the highest quality CT images possible today," said Kathy Altergott, Medical Imaging Administrative Director. "This new technology allow us to image the blood vessels of the head, carotid arteries, coronary arteries as well as those in the body such as the aorta, renal arteries and the run-off of the legs and arms in a noninvasive exam that takes only seconds."

While CT uses X-ray technology, it is distinguished from other imaging tools like traditional X-ray and MRI by its ability to display a combination of soft tissue (like muscles, tissue, organs and fat), bones and blood vessels all in a single image. Radiologists perform CT scans to diagnose kidney, lung, liver, spine, and blood diseases, cancer, tumors, and cysts, as well as blood clots, hemorrhages and infections.

Toshiba America Medical Systems, based in Tustin, Calif., is a leading innovator of medical technology. The company markets, sells, distributes and services diagnostic imaging systems throughout the United States.

Located in downtown Phoenix, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has been providing medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911, and is a flagship hospital within Banner Health. The hospital was recently recognized as a Magnet facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest honor a hospital can earn for its nursing care and practices. Licensed for 673 inpatient beds, Banner Good Samaritan's staff is nationally recognized for its expertise in several major services, including cardiology, critical care, neurosciences, obstetrics, oncology, rehabilitation, research and surgery. Today, more than 3,600 nurses and staff members work with over 1,700 physicians representing nearly 50 specialties staff to provide care to more than 36,000 inpatients each year.

Banner Good Samaritan can arrange for a reporter to follow a patient through a procedure. Please contact the Public Relations office at (602) 239-4411 for information.

###