Medical Advancements
8-Slice GE LightSpeed Ultra CT Scanner-
- Imaging Services
- Kuakini Medical Center, Ground Floor
Additional Notes on 8-slice scanner:
In March 2002, Kuakini became the first medical center in Hawaii and the second in the Western United States to install an 8-slice General Electric Lightspeed Ultra CT scanner, the fastest CT scanner in existence.
In a medical emergency, the increased speed of the eight-slice Ultra CT can mean the difference between life and death. Capable of imaging a patient's chest, abdomen, and pelvis in less than 15 seconds, Kuakini's patients will spend less time on the scanning table and will be exposed to less radiation than with any other CT scanner.
The new scanner offers incredible detailed images of anatomical structures and creates thinner slices that minimizes rescans and maximizes diagnostic confidence.
Not only will the new 8-slice CT scanner bring an entirely new level of performance to existing applications; it will allow Kuakini to offer new services to its patients. In a single-breathhold, the new scanner can quantitatively assess the extent of coronary artery calcium deposits within a patient's arteries without extensive patient preparation or contract injection. Coronary Artery Calcification, along with other patient risk factors, can be used to aid physicians in assessing the overall risk factor of coronary heart disease.
The new 8-slice CT scanner also assists Kuakini's research, digital imaging and telemedicine initiatives. One of the most important factors in naming Kuakini as one of the sites for this advanced CT scanner was Kuakini's involvement with research. Kuakini and GE established a research partnership whereby Kuakini will use the new CT scanner for patient care as well as in its research initiatives on non-invasive imaging software applications. Other GE research partners include the Mayo Clinic and Stanford Medical Center.
Mr. And Mrs. Akio and Yoshiko Morita funded the cost of the new 8-slice CT scanner through a donation made prior to Mr. Morita's death in 1999. The Moritas donated $2 million to Kuakini in 1998 as a gesture of appreciation in response to the care and support they received at Kuakini Medical Center. This donation was used to purchase two top-of-the-line Digital Ultrasound machines, two state-of-the-art Digital X-ray units and the CT scanner. The Moritas were also instrumental in organizing a $2 million equipment donation by Sony Corporation, Sony Corporation of America and Sony Hawaii Company. For more information, call the Kuakini Marketing and Public Relations department at 547-9168.
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CT LightSpeed Ultra Notes
- A CT scanner allows for the visualization of internal organs and soft tissue structures of the body. CT scans can show the extent of damage caused by a head injury, stroke, abdominal aneurysm, masses and tumors, thus providing physicians with critical information they need to begin treatment.
- Originally developed in the 1970s, CT or "CAT" scans combine the power of x-ray technology and computers, allowing physicians to view thin cross sections of internal anatomy without the need for surgery. An estimated 60 million CT exams are performed annually around the world, including 35 million in the United States, alone.
- The new GE Lightspeed multi-slice scanner has 8 detectors instead of the single-slice Kuakini had previously. There is a significant improvement in speed (about 8 times faster) and image quality. Images can be scanned in as little as half a second and the entire torso and pelvis can be scanned in less than 30 seconds. The new scanner can also generate thinner slices, which will allow physicians to detect small lesions and define anatomy to a greater degree..The speed also allows patients to hold their breath during scans allowing for improved vascular enhancement and better angiography for both head and neck as well as the abdomen and extremities. For example, the entire image of the heart can be captured in a single breath-hold. The increased speed will also allow ER trauma patients to be treated more quickly.
- The new GE Lightspeed Ultra can also generate 3D images of the scanned areas. This reconstruction technology has benefits which are only now being explored (i.e. for orthopedic surgeons the 3d model allows for the visualization of complex fractures).
- Clinically, the new CT scanner improves in areas of CT arteriography (examination of the arteries using x-rays following injection of a radiopaque substance.) CT detection of pulmonary emboli (a mass such as an air bubble or a blood clot) that travels through the bloodstream and lodges so as to obstruct or occlude a blood vessel.). And up incoming CT colonography which is like a basically like a CT colonoscopy without the scope. (We don't actually have the software for this yet. It's coming).
- A result of the increased scanner speed will be improved patient throughput. Patients will undergo the exam for a shorter period of time, resulting in less discomfort and less exposure to X-rays. The goal is to allow more patients to use the CT scanner each day. The new scanner also has twice the heat capacity of the old scanner which permits more scans to be conducted before cooling is required. This will improve patient throughput.
- The CT generated images are saved on Kuakini's PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications System) which allows for the digital storage of patient's records.
- GE is the largest manufacturer of multi-slice CT scanners in the world. More than 1,000 Lightspeed units have been sold worldwide. The scanner has won several awards including winner of a NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers) 2001 New Product Award. Introduced in 1998, LightSpeed was the world's first four-slice, multi-slice scanner. Currently, the best CT scanner is Kuakini's Lightspeed Ultra, the 8-slice scanner.
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CT Virtual Colonography
A colonogram is a graphic recording of movements of the colon as captured by a diagnostic imaging device such as the CT scanner.
A Colonography is an invasive visual examination of the inner surface of the colon using a colonoscope, an elongated endoscopic, fiberoptic camera that is navigated through the colon.
Using Kuakini's new 8-slice CT Scanner, patients can now have a quick, non-invasive colon exam called virtual colonography as a screening tool for the invasive colonoscopy procedure. Using the CT scanner, a physician can perform a quick and easy virtual colonogram and determine if a follow-up colonoscopy is necessary. This new application may save patients from undergoing more uncomfortable diagnostic procedures.
This new application could also benefit a segment of the population who physically can't or refuse to have a traditional colon exam.
Traditional colon exams can be a humbling, uncomfortable and invading experience for certain patients. The virtual colonogram can be accomplished without the patient undressing for the procedure.
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Coronary Artery Calcification (Calcium) Scoring Exam
Heart disease is a major healthcare concern for the U.S. and Hawaii, and the need for important diagnostic information is critical to treat the disease. Now in a single-breathhold using Kuakini's 8-slice CT scanner, the extent of coronary calicum deposits can be assessed without extensive patient preparation or use of contrast agents.
This procedure is called coronary artery (calcium) scoring and can be done with a quick and comfortable CT scan exam.
Kuakini's CT scanner uses SmartScore, a software application that uses an efficient and logical graphical user interface to ensure that patient assessments are accomplished quickly.
The calcium scoring exam provided by Kuakini uses data acquired from images taken by the CT scanner and assigns a numerical or score to the patient. The score is then used as a risk assessment for the patient. Coronary artery calcification, along with other patient risk factors, can be used to aid physicians in assessing the overall risk factors for coronary artery disease in individuals. The presence of significant calcium plaques in an individual's coronary arteries is a clear marker of atherosclerosis. Current standards of Calcium scoring has been established through the use of electron beam CT (EBCT). The coronary artery calcification scores are calculated using a standard Agatston/Janowitz (AJ) method.
New GE Lightspeed Ultra CT Scanner Installation and Kuakini Initiatives
Research and Mass Data Storage
Kuakini Health System's commitment to research is evident in its sponsorship of three world-renowned research programs located on its campus. The Honolulu-Heart Program, Honolulu Asia-Aging Study and Japan-Hawaii Cancer Program are three research initiatives that have been extensively published and cited nationally and internationally.
- Honolulu Heart Program; This epidemiological study (started in 1965) has been observing the incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke in over 8,000 men of Japanese ancestry in Hawaii.
- Japan-Hawaii Cancer Program; This research study (started in 1965) identifies pathological, biochemical and other risk factors associated with the development of common cancers in 8,500 men and 1,500 women of Japanese ancestry.
- Honolulu Asia-Aging Study; This research study (started in 1994) reviews brain structure by post-mortem examinations of research cohorts who have died, and whose families have given permission for an autopsy. This research allows the most advanced molecular and structural techniques to be applied to the question of how and why specific diseases strike some persons but not others.
In 2001, Kuakini installed a Sony PetaSite mass data storage system for the purpose of archiving digital diagnostic images, clinical information on patients including electronic medical records information, and data for research purposes. The PetaSite, which was part of a $2 million equipment donation by Sony Corporation, has a storage capacity of 62 terabytes. One terabyte is equal to 1 million megabytes.
General Electric Medical Systems had a limited supply of 8-slice CT Lightspeed Ultra upgrades available since it was the only introduced in the U.S. in Fall 2001. One of the most important factors in naming Kuakini as one of the sites for this advanced CT scanner was Kuakini's commitment to research. Kuakini and GE established a research partnership whereby Kuakini will use the new CT scanner for patient care as well as in its research initiatives on non-invasive imaging software applications. Other GE research partners include the Mayo Clinic and Stanford University Medical Center.
Digital Imaging and Telemedicine
Kuakini has always been interested in Digital Diagnostic Imaging and is only one equipment or diagnostic modality away from being Hawaii's first healthcare organization with an all-digital diagnostic imaging services. Kuakini expects to install Hawaii's first digital mammography unit in May 2002. This addition will put Kuakini in the lead for digital diagnostic imaging in Hawaii and in the U.S.
The benefits of digital imaging are faster and more comfortable scans, more images and higher resolution images for physicians to assess, greater software applications, less exposure to radiation for patients and the elimination of environmentally dangerous chemicals used to process radiographic film. Digital images are easily adjusted, archived, and accessed for optimal viewing and are readily available to physicians at all times for quality patient care. Patients do not have to wait for processing of the films. With digital imaging, the physicians can determine immediately if the image is okay, thereby eliminating the need for patient callbacks and re-takes.
Digital images at Kuakini are accessible through the internet ready and can be viewed by physicians and authorized caregivers from their offices and homes outside the Kuakini campus. The digital images can be sent via internet, high-speed fiber optic lines or by satellite to anywhere in the world for consultation and research.
Digital images also provide the foundation for developing non-invasive diagnostic procedures, such as virtual fly-bys, where a physician can look at the internal structures of a patient without surgery. Also, virtual surgery is a potential application where the surgeon can practice surgical procedure on the patient before the actual surgery. This will eliminate any surprises and will prepare the surgeon for the specific physical conditions of the patient.
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