Computerized Tomography (CT Scans)

Mary Black Health System's CT scanners can produce clearly defined three-dimensional images of all body systems—including organs, bones, arteries and veins.

Using high speed X-rays that rotate in continuous 360-degree motion around the patient, incredibly detailed laser images of cross-sectional slices of the body are created on a computer screen. Tissue abnormalities, tumor masses, tiny fractures, displaced bones, and unusual accumulations of fluid may be detected so that physicians can pinpoint exact areas for treatment.

We have expanded our services to meet the needs of area patients and physicians by obtaining a new, 64-slice scanner. This CT (Computed Tomography) scanner will enhance diagnostic imaging services beyond any healthcare provider in the area. With this machine, Mary Black Health System has one of the most advanced CT scanning sites in the Upstate.

The CT is a type of rotating X-ray that uses a computer to produce exact, clear, still, cross-sectional images (“slices”) of parts of the body. The number of slices refers to the number of images that can be generated with one rotation of the gantry, the circular shaped part of the scanner. It differs from the current 4 and 16 slice scanners available in the community. So, instead of 4 or 16 images in one rotation, a 64-slice scanner can produce up to 64 images in one rotation. Think of it like a loaf of bread, slicing the loaf in 4, 16 or 64 slices.

The ability to image more quickly in thinner sections over larger distances drastically improves image quality and speed, and allow for improved diagnosis. For example, imagine looking for a tumor the size of a pea somewhere in your lungs. With our current scanner, one rotation will give us 4 images, or slices. With the advanced machine, one rotation will produce 64 images. While our existing machine produces images typically 5.0mm thick, roughly half the thickness of half a slice of bread, the new machine can produce images 0.625mm thick, about as thin as a grain of sand. The more slices we can produce, and the thinner the slices are, the greater the probability of finding that tiny growth in the body.

Comfort, clarity and accuracy are also factors to consider. Now we ask patients to lie motionless and hold their breath while the gantry circulates again and again and again. With the new machine, overall examination time will be reduced, benefiting trauma patients and others in pain. Not only does this make for a more comfortable exam—especially for trauma patients—but less motion results in clearer images that are easier to read which can affect the accuracy of the diagnosis.

The machine also offers tremendous benefit for cardiac patients as it can scan the heart, a function we are not able to adequately perform now. Because of the motion of the heart, even a 16-slice unit will produce blurry images. The advanced machine rotates in less than half a second and can be timed in rhythm with a beating heart to produce absolutely clear images of a heart in motion.

The 64 slice scanner is used for a wide variety of conditions including evaluating patients who come through the Emergency Department with internal injuries and skeletal fractures, patients with a multitude of conditions (including chest and abdominal pain), and heart and stroke patients. In addition, it will enable the radiologists performing biopsies for cancer diagnosis to provide timely detection, staging and response to treatment.

For more information about our 64 slice scanner and Computerized Tomography (CT) capabilities, call our Radiology Department at 864-573-3865.