64-Slice Computer Tomography Scanner at Bumrungrad Hospital

Medical treatment in Bangkok is up-to-date. For example, quite a few hospital provide 64-slice computer tomography scanning of the heart and other organs. The following is a description of the procedure and its benefits, as provided in the in-house magazine of Bumrungrad Hospital.

Faster Way to the Heart
(as published in Better Health Issue 1 : 2006, Bumrungrad Hospital)

The new 64-Slice CT Scanner gives doctors a faster way to diagnose heart problems, and much more.

Doctors have a new tool to quickly and accurately check patients for coronary heart disease and a host of other medical problems.

The new 64-slice cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scanner delivers 64 ultra-sharp pictures of body organs and tissues in less than a second. This state-of-the-art technology, which is now in use at leading medical centers including Bumrungrad International, has the potential to provide more accurate diagnoses in less time, and at a lower cost, than other diagnostic tests.

Scanners have been used for many years to generate detailed 3-dimensional images of the body's internal organs and tissues. Doctors use the images to help diagnose potential problems such as narrowing of the coronary arteries, cancer, strokes and neurological conditions.

At the beginning of the CT scan procedure, an intravenous dye is injected into the patient's arm. The patient lies on a flat table surrounded by a doughnut-shaped scanner. A radiologist takes pictures by maneuvering the scanner over different areas of the body.

In a single rotation around the patient, the 64-slice scanner delivers 64 views of body tissues and organs, providing a detailed 3-D picture in a matter of seconds. The scanner produces color 3-D images with much more anatomical detail than earlier 16-slice scanners, and in a fraction of the time. The entire procedure can be completed in less than 15 minutes.

SPOTTING POTENTIAL PROBLEMS FIRST

"The new 64-slice scanner represents a significant improvement upon the 16-slice CT scanner," noted Dr. Chamaree Chuapetcharasopon, a board certified radiologist specializing in CT tomography. "It's one of the fastest scanners available in the world."

Beyond spotting heart problems, the new technology allows doctors to more effectively detect a range of other life threatening illnesses at earlier stages, which can be especially important in determining the best course of treatment. The scanner is proving helpful in the diagnosis of early-stage cancers as well as detecting neurological disorders, strokes, head injuries, herniated discs and bone fractures. The fast turnaround can be partlcularlv crucial in emergency cases.

The new scanner is used to rule out conditions as well to diagnose them. In a study published recently by the American College of Radiology, 64-slice CT scans were almost 100% successful in weeding out emergency room patients who had not had heart attacks. Up to 40% of those who arrived at the emergency room did not have to undergo the pain, risk and expense of traditional tests and hospital admission. In some cases, images from the 64-slice scan eliminate the need for invasive diagnostic procedures such as cardiac catherization.