The New 64-Slice CT Scanner allows for Ultra Fast Imaging of the Heart, Head, Body, Colon and Lung.

Detecting blockages in the arteries of heart patients and assessing tissue damage in the brain of stroke patients is now a swift, accurate and painless procedure, thanks to Raffles Hospital's latest technological acquisition - the ultra fast 64-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner.

This newly installed device produces precise diagnostic pictures within five to 10 seconds, enabling one to reconstruct internal structures and define certain disease processes.

Heart Imaging

In the past, images of the heart arteries can only be seen through invasive procedures like conventional coronary angiograms.

Now, CT coronary angiogram using the 64 multi-slice CT scanner is able take pictures of such superior resolution that even the smallest coronary arteries can be viewed to detect blockages that can lead to a heart attack.

With these high resolution pictures, a computer then uses these slices to reconstruct highly detailed, 3-D images of the heart and surrounding arteries.

An angiogram or cardiac catheterization requires threading a thin tube from the groin area to the heart's arteries, where a dye is released to produce contrast X-rays. The procedure, which also checks the function of heart valves and muscle, takes between 30 minutes and 45 minutes to perform, and requires almost an hour for recovery.

The 64-slice CT scanner can also be used for other important applications, such as identifying narrowed brain arteries that put patients at risk of having a stroke, and for studying the internal structure of the colon in the initial screening of colon cancer.

The 64-slice scanner produces images at twice the speed and in greater detail than the original 32-slice, and picture quality is so good it obviates the need for more risky and invasive procedures called angiograms or cardiac catheterization.

Stroke Assessment

With its ability to carry out high speed and high resolution imaging, the new scanner can evaluate the extent of damage to brain tissues caused by stroke without the need for invasive procedures.

The revolutionary multi-slice CT technology also enables high-speed body scanning in which the entire body can be covered in a single scan with high image resolution. This covers the visualization of arteries in the head, neck, chest, abdomen and legs.

Virtual Colonoscopy

CT imaging of the colon, also known as virtual colonoscopy, is a non-invasive alternative to conventional colonoscopy in the initial screening of colon cancer.

The traditional method involves passing a colonoscope into the colon to visualise its internal lining.

Virtual colonoscopy using the 64-slice CT scanner is a high speed CT study that captures images of the colon. Detailed pictures with 3-dimensional reconstruction of the inside of the colon are obtained.

Lung Nodule Screening

Early detection of lung cancer is now possible with CT technology that enables 3- dimensional lung nodule analysis.

Minute nodules can be detected with minimum radiation dose and scanning time.