Transcript CT Scan

Computed Tomography
(CT Scan)
By: George Douleh
History



CT was invented by Godfrey Hounsfield, a British
Engineer and Allan Comrack, a South African
physicist, in 1972.
Awarded the Nobel Prize for contributions to medicine
and science in 1979.
First CT scanners available in 1976, originally
dedicated to head imaging only.

Became widely available by 1980.

However took days to construct a single image.
History
Current Technology

Roughly 6,000 CT Scanners in the U.S

And about 30,000 worldwide.

Therefore have become much less costly.



$2,000-$3,000 to get a CT Scan
A 512 x 512 inch image can now be constructed
in less than a second.
Images are now much more detailed.
Current Technology
Procedure



Many x-ray beams and a set of x-ray detectors rotate
around the body, measuring the amount of radiation
absorbed by your body.
The examination table is at the same time moving
through the scanner, so it follows a spiral path.
A special computer processes the data and created a
2 dimensional cross sectional image of your body.


Displayed on the monitor.
Procedure usually takes about 30 minutes
Uses of CT Scans

CT Scans are used to view:

Internal organs

Bone

Soft tissue

Blood vessels
Pros




Painless and accurate
Can image bone, soft tissue, and blood vessel
at the same time
Can be used even if you have an implanted
device.
Fast and simple; reveal internal injuries quickly
enough to save lives!
Cons

Radiation exposure
–

Very slight chance of obtaining cancer
Very time consuming
–
patient must remain motionless for roughly 30
minutes
Limitations




Soft tissue near the brain, internal pelvis
organs, knee or shoulder can be seen more
clearly with MRI
The moving table weight limit is about 450
pounds
Radiation exposure limits amount of CT Scans
you can receive.
Claustrophobia
Future

Multi-Sensor CT Scan
–
shorter exam times

Decreased X-Ray exposure

Even faster results

More detail
Works Cited





"Brief History of CT | CT Scan." Imaginis. Web. 22 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.imaginis.com/ct-scan/brief-history-of-ct>.
"CAT Scan (CT) - Body." RadiologyInfo - The Radiology Information
Resource for Patients. Web. 22 Apr. 2011.
<http://radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodyct>.
"CT Scan - Tests, Test Results & Diagnosis - NY Times Health Information."
Health News - The New York Times. Web. 22 Apr. 2011.
<http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/ct-scan/overview.html>.
Davis, Lawrence M. "CT Scan." EMedicineHealth. Web. 23 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.emedicinehealth.com/ct_scan/article_em.htm>.
Saxena, Rajeev. "CT Scan Machine Gives Radiation Overdoses At Cedar
Sinai Hospital | Trends Updates." Trends Updates - Gadgets, Fashion,
Automobile, Environment. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://trendsupdates.com/ctscan-machine-gives-radiation-overdoses-at-cedar-sinai-hospital/>.