BroMenn Upgrades Imaging Technology
BroMenn Regional Medical Center has made a dramatic advancement in its imaging capabilities with the addition of the new LightSpeed VCT computed tomography (CT) imaging system and the Centricity Picture Archiving & Communications System (PACS). BroMenn is the first local hospital to use these state-of-the-art, innovative technologies.
The LightSpeed VCT system provides highly detailed images of the human body. Manufactured by GE Healthcare, the scanner provides doctors with high-resolution images in a fraction of the time previously required, allowing them to more accurately diagnose a wider variety of patient conditions.
"Our LightSpeed VCT system gives us the ability to apply CT imaging to a wider set of clinical applications," said Mike Johnson, BroMenn's director of Radiology. "It also provides us with vastly improved image quality and imaging speed."
CT or "CAT" scans combine the power of x-ray technology and computers, allowing physicians to view thin cross-sections of the internal anatomy without the need for exploratory surgery. CT exams are used when people are ill or injured, or when a physician suspects a medical problem that is not easily detectable from a conventional physical exam. The LightSpeed VCT system non-invasively assists physicians in the diagnosis of a variety of anatomical areas, such as the spine, head, abdomen and chest, including - in a first for CT scanners - detailed imaging of the heart.
"The LightSpeed VCT will allow us to perform CT angiography and cardiology, at a level of detail we couldn't get from a conventional CT scanner," Johnson said. While the new scanner has been in use at BroMenn for a few months for other parts of the anatomy, it is still in a testing phase for cardiac imaging. One of the volunteer test subjects was Johnson himself, who gained some valuable information from his scan.
"The scan showed that I had a severely occluded artery that required surgery," said Johnson, who underwent double by-pass open heart surgery within weeks of his scan. "I had heart issues 15 years ago, but recent stress tests hadn't indicated any immediate problems. It really drove home to me the benefit of having this type of sophisticated imaging system available to doctors and their patients."
Images like those of Johnson's heart are now available to physicians digitally on their computers, thanks to BroMenn's addition of the Centricity PACS system, also from GE Healthcare. This advanced digital technology replaces film and creates images, such as those from x-rays, CT or MRI exams, directly on electronic plates. Image files are then stored on magnetic discs and can be retrieved on command and viewed digitally, helping physicians make decisions and begin patient treatment much more quickly.
"Our new PACS system brings BroMenn another giant step forward into the digital age of healthcare," said Johnson. "The computerization of patient records mirrors the way medical image technology is going, helping us stay at the cutting edge of patient care and making it easier than ever to connect specialists and physicians to the critical diagnostic information they need."
The system includes electronic tools that assist doctors in detailed analysis, and allows for the capture of dozens of images of a single area. "The ability to view diagnostic images quickly and in great detail on our secure computer network brings critical information right to the physician at the point where they are making decisions and administering care," said Johnson. "Now instead of waiting for film or records to be delivered, the image needed is just a click away."
