Introducing the new LightSpeed16 CT Scanner to Medical Center of Lewisville

The LightSpeed16 CT scanner manufactured by GE Medical Systems allows doctors to simultaneously capture multiple wafer-thin images of a patient’s anatomy within seconds, shaving precious minutes off the exam time.  The system provides exceptionally high-resolution images that help doctors to more accurately diagnose patients than ever before.

LightSpeed16 is the latest in the GE family of LightSpeed CT scanners.  The LightSpeed16 demonstrates CT imaging quality in three dimensions; microVoxelTM imaging delivers routinely superior image quality in the axial, coronal and sagittal planes.  This new frontier in imaging allows for superb sub-millimeter isotropic resolution that facilitates the imaging of small structures including small tortuous vessels, fine bony structures and coronary arteries.

LightSpeed16 Customers Typically Conduct the Following Procedures:
- Cardiac and coronary vessel analysis
- Coronary artery calcification scoring
- Angiography studies 
- Trauma/emergency room situations
- Stroke assessment
- Oncology/cancer care
- Pulmonary emboli
- Inner ear ailments
- Spinal injuries
- Abdominal injuries
- Pediatric assessment
- Kidney exams
- Liver exams
- Lung exams

Patient Benefits:
- Automated dose reduction features.
- Breathing lights help patients remain motionless during scans.
- Less time needed for breath-holds, resulting in less stress to the patient. 
- Greater flexibility (e.g., obtain thinner or thicker slices without rescanning the patient).
- Full CT angiography coverage.
- Better cross sectional displays and 3D images.
- Fast, accurate scan times mean faster patient exams.
- Captures heart images in a single breath-hold.

Physician Benefits:
- Full suite of applications to assist in examination of the head, abdomen, spine and chest.
- Variable-speed scanning – rotation speed can be adjusted in increments of 0.1 seconds, giving clinicians an unprecedented degree of control over procedures. Variable scan speeds allow clinicians to image patients with a variety of heart rates, giving doctors more control to meet a specific clinical need.
- Scans as fast as 0.5 seconds. Higher-speed scanning means clearer, sharper images with fewer artifacts caused by patient movement.
- Isotropic imaging with sub-millimeter (0.625mm) slice thickness.

CT Technologist Benefits:
- Highly automated operation – designed for single-technologist operation. The imaging process is so automated that the operator only needs to choose from a list of scan protocols, plan the scan, and push start. The system reconstructs, films, networks and archives automatically.
- Productivity and ergonomic enhancements – features that save technologists time and steps and enhance patient comfort include:
        - Remote gantry tilt (from inside the control room)
        - In-room start (from inside the exam room) 
        - Front and back gantry controls
        - Patient breathing lights with countdown timer
        - IV pole and instrument tray that move with the patient table.

Key Components:
GE’s proprietary HiLight Matrix II Detector technology reduces X-ray technique, lowers patient dose, and provides better image quality and higher patient throughput. This 24 row (16 x 0.625mm or 16 x 1.25mm) detector captures more anatomical information per second than single-slice scanners – thanks to fundamental breakthroughs in ceramics science and electronics engineering. The Performix tube is made of stainless steel metal and provides proven reliability and precision, with an average lifespan of 21 months and counting.  With more than 3,000 LightSpeed systems installed, more doctors choose GE LightSpeed than any other multi-slice CT scanner.