Preparation of Thoracic CT Scanning

This may begin as early as when the patient makes appointment or is on the ard as an impatients:for the patient to have prior information about the in-patient procedure that has been requested is good background preparation. Information leaflets at reception, in the waiting room or sent to the ward are useful. Any allergy or asthma history should be obtained as early as possible if steroid cover is to administration, dependent upon department policy.

This scanning procedure should be explained clearly and  concisely to the patient as well as the necessity and purpose or oral and IV contrast. The patient should be given an idea as to the duration of the examination and told how they can be communicate with the radiographer. Reassurance that they can be heard and spoken to often helps patient, as well as a frequent update as to how well the procedure progressing, In the writer experience, an explanation as to why it may appear to the patient that, on occasion, nothing is happening, is useful; this is when patient may become anxious and is often due to radiographer concentration on images rather than on the patient! This may be the 10^th scan of the day, but to patient it is the one and only and can make a lasting impression; a relaxed patient is still one making the procedure easier for everyone.

Breath-holding techniques are very important for thorax scanning and should, therefore, be explained to and practiced with the patient

All patient details , as far as possible, should be enters prior to positioning the patient since this also reduces the time the patient is lying in scanner.

Placenta Development on the Ultrasound Imaging

Primary chorionic will develop between13th and 15th day after the ovulation (during 4th week of gestation) and mark the beginning of the placental development. At the same time, the formation of blood vessels starts in the extraembryonic mesoderm of the yolk sac, the connecting stalk and the chorion. By 18 to 21 days (during the 5th week of gestation), the villi have become branched and the mesenchymal cells within the villi have differentiated into blood capillaries and formed an arteriocapillary venous network. Chorionic villi cover the intire surface of gestational sac until the end of the 8th week. At the time, the villi on the side of the chorion proliferate towards the decidua basalis to form the chorion frondosum, which develops into the definitive placenta. The villi in contact with the decidua capsularis begin to degenerate and form an vascular shell, known as the chorion leave or smooth chorion. The placenta is mostly derived from fetal tissues, when maternal component contributes little to the architecture of definitive placenta.

Normal placentation requires a progressive transformation of the spiral arteries and an infiltration of trophoblastic cells into the placental bed. These physiological changes normally extend into the inner third of the myometrium, and in normal pregnancies, all the spiral arteries are transformed into uteroplacental arteries before 20 weeks of gestation. In some cases of early pregnancy failure and pregnancy-induced hypertention, there is an adequate placentation with a defective transformation of spiral arteries.

3D Power Doppler Studies in Assessment of Early Chorionic Circulation

New developments of the cutting edge of the ultrasound technology enabled us to expand investigations of early placental vascular supply. 3D power Doppler is able to depict the integral 3D image of placenta and embryo and their vascular network. Additionally, it is possible to quantify and express numerically data related to vascular signals in the investigated volume.

GE LightSpeed CT750 HD Reviews

 

Gemstone spectral imaging(GSI) LightSpeed CT750 HD  is based on projection material decomposition. The mixed kVp sinogram is transformed into view aligned low and high kVp on paired kVp measurement accounting for tube spectrum, bowtie filter and beam hardening properties of the basis materials. The noise correlation of the resulting material density images is well understood and employed in noise reduction processing(Alvarez and Seppi, 1979)

Post processing and visualization of dual energy data for medical diagnostic imaging is an emerging filed and active research area. Te goal is to provide diagnostic information beyond that found in conventional imaging, in a manner consistent with workflow, and that increases the efficiency of clinical reads. The GSI Viewer provides a mix of basic capability for routine clinical readings and advanced research capabilities for exploring applications.

Gemstone Spectral Imaging uses up to 2496 views per rotation (a 2.5x increase) to deliver improved spatial resolution and improved image quality across the entire field of view. Dual energy fast kV switching registers energies at least 165 times faster than Dual Source CT at a .33s rotating speed. It offers 128 slices of unique data per rotation and 101 user selectable energy levels for viewing. In short, it brings faster, clearer images into today's demanding health care environment without sacrificing the element patients and clinicians demand most: radiation dose reduction. Though the laws of physics typically demand an increase in dose for each increase in image quality, GE Healthcare has engineered an exception. CT750 HD improves image quality while reducing dose by up to 50% across the entire body and by as much as 83% for cardiac scans.
LightSpeed CT750 HD  allowing clinicians to see objects as small as a grain of sand, CT750 HD's improved spatial resolution allows it to reduce calcium blooming artifacts. Because of this, accurate stenosis quantification is possible. In bench testing, it was able to accurately measure 75% stenosis on a 3mm vessel within 100 microns. It also benefits from improved low contrast detection (LCD), a measure of the amount of contrast needed to image a given object at a given dose. CT750 HD bench tested with a 40% LCD improvement over the previous release.
"This is a game changer," said Gene Saragnese, Vice President and General Manager of GE Healthcare's Global CT and Molecular Imaging businesses. "We are delivering the customer-driven future of CT and we couldn't be prouder of the product their feedback has created. Our customers told us they wanted to look at an image and not just see more but see more detail. The LightSpeed CT750 HD gives them those tools and more, with less dose than ever before, bringing us right to the edge of early health, our vision here at GE Healthcare. It's now up to us to take this technological leap and move into the future. That's CT Re-imagined.

This GE CT Scanner will set the new standard for CT clarity, delivering the vision and the tools to allow clinicians to diagnose quickly and confidently. At its heart is the first new detector material in 20 years; one that is, quite literally, a gem. GE engineers discovered that, by changing the molecular structure of real garnets, they could develop a scintillator capable of delivering images 100 times faster, with up to 33% greater detail through the body and up to 47% greater detail in the heart. They had unlocked the secret of the proprietary GE Gemstone Detector™, boasting the fastest primary speed in the CT industry, and the driving force of the first of its kind "Gemstone Spectral Imaging" process.

Imaging Example Result

Mirror or Multipart Artifact on Ultrasound Measurement

The term mirror or multipart artifact describer the situation in which the path to and from reflector are different. this artifact result in improper reflector image positioning. If separations is not stuffiest, two reflector are seen as one(missing reflector artifact). whereas reverberation and ring downs are reflections that occur back and forth within the direction of the original sound beam, a amniorim, age artifact is one in which the sound beam deflected away from transducers, The reflected may hit strong interface, to the transducer, be bounced back to the mirror and the back to the transducer. The machine will therefore receive an echo and display a blip on the screen in the direction that the traducer was pointing and at a distance corresponding to the time taken. However this will be a phantom echo since there is no interface in that position. It can also cause significant trouble when it produces a mirror image of the bladder deep to the rectum or sigmoid colon. In this situation, the phantom can closely resemble a cyst, ovarian tumor, or leiomyoma. This kind of artifact can fool even the most experienced sinologists. Differentiating between a true lesion and a mirror image artifact can be difficult. However, the phantom cyst frequently has an unusual , some what triangular shape on the longitudinal scan. The back wall is often very ill defined , whereas true cystic lesions invariably have a good , clear posterior wall. It is important to realize that this artifact is seen on both transverse and longitudinal scans, Bone can gave the patient partially empty the balder . This will cause the phantom mass to become proportionately smaller. It is , however , important that the patient doesn’t empty the balder completely as real; lesions can then be missed. Transvaginal scanning can be very useful in difficult cases.

Toshiba's Aquilion Premium CT Review, Price and Specs

The Aquilion ONE Group of CT systems feature sophisticated dose reduction as well as image processing software program. Developed based on Toshiba's long-standing resolve for improving patient security, these features ensure shipping of the best possible picture quality at the lowest feasible dose. These software program enhancements reinforce Toshiba's leading principle of ALARA for each patient. Toshiba's Aquilion Premium CT is the just multi-detector system available that is built based on a state-of-the-art, scalable system. Offering unsurpassed overall performance, service and client satisfaction, it's designed to safeguard your investment both these days and in the future.

•     Faster throughput as well as increased capabilities allow you to expand clinical quantity and perform a broader range of procedures
•     Aquilion High quality can be upgraded in order to dynamic volume CT (330 detector row) as you prepare, eliminating the need to buy a new system
•     The capability to perform a simple area upgrade, with no extra siting costs, reduces the down time and revenue reduction associated with new installs
•     Aquilion Premium's scalable configuration gives you much more flexibility to respond to needs for improving treatment and lowering expenses
•     Flexible financing options as well as consulting services in the CT leader help you make more effective use of limited sources
•     Productivity improvements are certain over time with the accessibility to continuous software improvements from Toshiba

Ultra-Helical, ultra-fast scanning

Developed exclusively through Toshiba, Ultra-Helical scanning along with active collimation facilitates a quicker diagnosis by carrying out high-quality exams using the sector's only 8 centimetres, 0.5 millimeters x 160 sensor row acquisition. Capable of singing whole body scanning within 5 seconds with no field-of-view (FOV) limitations, Ultra-Helical scanning is fantastic for trauma and entire body CTA acquisitions. It can also reduce intravenous contrast utilization resulting in greater individual safety.
Ultra-Helical Scan Times

Ultra-Helical pulmonary artery CTA acquired in 2.3 seconds with 50 ml of IV contrast.

Ultra-Helical cervical spine acquired in 2.1 seconds.

 

Ultra-Helical abdomen and pelvis CT acquired in 3.7 seconds.

Unique Scan Modes

Ultra-Helical SURECardio Prospective* Performed in three easy steps, SURECardio Prospective delivers high-quality diagnostic studies for coronary CTA procedures while speeding up exam times and reducing radiation dose.

Step 1: Initiate SUREStart automated bolus tracking.

Step 2: Acquire data with Ultra-Helical Prospective Scan.

Step 3: Reconstruct with phaseXact auto phase selection.

Dynamic CTA with SURESubtraction* Powerful circle of willis CTA as well as brain perfusion acquired concurrently with contrast as well as temporal uniformity. Automated bone subtraction can enhance clinical accuracy as well as shorten time to prognosis.

Price  Aquilion  Premium

Aquilion  Premium from Toshiba America Medical Systems goes for about $2.9 million

Technical Principles of Diagnostic Ultrasound

All ultrasound techniques rely on the processing of reflected sound waves. A wave motion results from the periodic, medium-dependent propagation of the vibration of particlesaround their resting positions. Sound waves are pressure waves that spread by alternately compressing and decompressing the medium they are traveling in. The speed of sound wave propagation is a function of the compressibility and density of the medium. Various modes of sound propagation are distinguished, again depending on the medium. Transverse waves occur when the particles vibrate around a resting position perpendicular to the direction of propagation, longitudinal waves occur when the vibration is parallel to the direction. In solid media, sound propagates in the form ofboth transverse and longitudinal waves. In fluids and gases, only longitudinal waves occur because no shearing forces are present in these media. As the human body mostly consists of water, the effect of transverse waves is negligible. Particlesexcited in the ultrasound range vibrate around their resting positions at a rate of 20,000 to 1 billion times per second. The frequencies used in vascular ultrasonography range from 2–10MHz (frequency f: 1 hertz = 1/s).The velocity of sound waves, C, is the product of wavelength and frequency f:C = • f Wavelength is the shortest distance between two vibratingparticles in identical states of motion (Table 1.1). The average speed of sound in human tissue is about 1,540 m/s. The wavelengths occurring in diagnostic ultrasound are determined by the frequency emitted by the transducer (carrier frequency)and range from0.7mmat a frequency of 2MHz to 0.15mmat 10 MHz.Parameters defining a sound wavePeriod: Duration of a complete vibrationWavelength: Spatial extension of a periodFrequency: Number of periods per secondAmplitude: Measure of sound energy