Now, HD body scanner that can spot heart problems in time
July 27th, 2010 - 12:56 pm ICT by ANILondon, July 27 (ANI): With a new high-definition body scanner, doctors can now get the clearest ever view inside the human body, thereby helping them to spot problems that could cause heart attacks.
The HD body scanner, manufactured by GE Healthcare, generates pictures of diseased arteries in the heart that are twice as clear as older machines.
It means doctors at Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital can identify problems at an early stage, long before patients suffer a heart attack or even develop any symptoms.
“When we started doing the heart research in 2002, we used to struggle to see the blood vessels, let alone see the narrowings within them,” Sky News quoted Professor of Radiology Carl Roobottom as saying.
“Now, we have a technique that can see to within a fraction of a millimetre,” he added.
In just five seconds, the scanner takes 220 X-rays, each of them a cross-section of the heart.
Computers then turn the raw snapshots into a 3D image.
Doctors can add colour to distinguish between different types of tissue, strip away layers that obscure problem areas, and rotate or flip the image to get the best possible view.
They can even ‘fly’ through the arteries feeding the heart muscle, some of which are just 1mm wide.
The scanner is also safer for patients-the radiation dose is 20 to 30 times lower than that from machines being used just seven years ago. (ANI)
- New angiography technique a boon for many - Feb 03, 2012
- Futuristic CT scanners to image organ in less than a second - Jun 03, 2010
- CT scanner that views whole organs in a heartbeat unveiled - Jun 04, 2010
- First-ever MRI scan of baby at the moment of birth produced - Dec 08, 2010
- Now, remove uterine fibroids the painless way - Jul 06, 2010
- Fat around heart promotes cardiac disease - Aug 16, 2011
- How safe are airport security scanners to humans: US study - Mar 17, 2011
- New device uses submarine technology to detect stroke quickly - Mar 30, 2011
- Blog posts 'nude body scanner pics' online to highlight pressing dangers to privacy - Nov 17, 2010
- New 3-D software to view artery blockages - Jan 27, 2010
- Now, a CT scanner that reduces cancer risk - Aug 08, 2011
- Shrinking ultrasound device will be handy as stethoscope - Feb 24, 2011
- New cardiac CT technology cuts patient radiation exposure drastically - Feb 23, 2010
- New surgical procedure lowers blood pressure - Jan 18, 2012
- New technique to identify potential atherosclerosis risk found - Apr 12, 2011
Tags: 3d image, blood vessels, body scanner, cross section, derriford hospital, diseased arteries, ge healthcare, heart attack, heart attacks, heart muscle, heart problems, heart research, high definition, human body, millimetre, obscure problem, problem areas, radiation dose, sky news, x rays