New CAT scanner offers more comfort for patients and more accurate images for medical experts
Those benefits are made possible in part by the new GE Lightspeed Radiation Therapy CAT Scanner in the Jon and Karen Huntsman-Intermountain Cancer Center. The CAT in CAT scan stands for computerized axial tomography, which uses an X-ray beam and a radiation detector to feed data into a computer and produce a three-dimensional image of structures within the body.
CAT scan images are used to diagnose illnesses and injuries and see abnormalities including tumors and other forms of cancer. The Lightspeed RT (radiation therapy) model is a new collaborative effort between GE and Varian, the company that makes Intermountain's treatment machines. Varian computer software and hardware are integrated to offer new treatment techniques based on the simulations provided by the CAT scans.
How the Lightspeed RT scanner helps make patients more comfortable
Previously, cancer patients would have to undergo long, uncomfortable sessions, sometimes stuck in awkward positions during a CAT scan before each radiation treatment.
During a Lightspeed RT scan, patients lie on a table and pass through a hole that's much wider than holes in other scanners. That means patients no longer have to contort their bodies to fit through the machine. The larger hole also helps ease the anxiety of patients with claustrophobia.
More accurate images
In addition to being more comfortable, the Lightspeed RT CAT scanner is much more accurate than its predecessors. It uses a four-slice helical scanner that's designed specifically for radiation therapy simulation. The image quality is virtually unbeatable.
Intermountain Medical Center's new scanner, which is the very latest technology in CAT scans, is more comfortable for patients and gives cancer specialists the flexibility they need to produce clearer images and treat cancer patients more effectively.