News Release

August 10, 2004

Contact: Kristina Goodnough, 860-679-3700
e-mail: goodnough@nso.uchc.edu

New Scanner Gives UConn Health Center Physicians 3-D Images in Real Time

FARMINGTON, CONN. - In a matter of seconds, a new scanner at UConn Health Center provides detailed, three-dimensional images of the most intricate anatomical structures and systems in the human body.

“This machine will change the way doctors work,” says Bipin Jagjivan, M.D., chief of radiology at UConn Health Center, about the new 16-slice computerized tomography (CT) scanner recently installed in John Dempsey Hospital. “This scanner provides extraordinarily accurate images that will improve our ability to make an accurate diagnosis of a variety of disorders, from cancer to cardiovascular disease and trauma. The detail and clarity of the images also allow for much more precise planning for surgery,” says Jagjivan.

Tumors can be detected with higher sensitivity and greater clarity. Blood flow to organs and limbs can be followed and imaged in three dimensions, eliminating the need for more invasive angiography. The scanner can also perform virtual colonoscopy and virtual bronchoscopy, again eliminating the need for more invasive procedures, says Jagjivan.

Like other CT scanners, the machine uses radiation to capture an image. In this scanner, however, the X-ray beam rotates continuously around the patient, tracing a spiral path through the patient, taking multiple images and gathering continuous data with no gaps between images. The information is sent to a specialized computer that reconstructs the information into individual slices and combines them sequentially in a comprehensive image of the entire area scanned. Physicians can view the images almost instantaneously.

Because it scans so quickly, it is good for studies on those who have difficulty holding still or holding their breath, like the elderly, patients in distress and babies. “We can scan pediatric patients while they are sleeping, which eliminates the need for general anesthesia.”

The Health Center installed the $1.6 million scanner in August to replace an older CT scanner that had outlasted its useful life.

The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, John Dempsey Hospital, the UConn Medical Group and University Dentists. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. To learn more about the UConn Health Center, visit our website at www.uchc.edu.

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