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| Contact: Christine Hill (612) 873-5719 |
11/24/08 |
Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) recently unveiled its new 256-slice CT scanner, the first of its kind in the Twin Cities and upper Midwest. The new Brilliance iCT from Philips is a computed tomography scanner (sometimes referred to as a “CAT” scan), that produces crisp, detailed images of the body in mere seconds. At HCMC it is used for many applications, from the ability to help doctors quickly assess trauma patients to obtaining an intimate view of a patient’s cardiovascular system to check for disease.
Computed tomography is a valuable tool used to help diagnose life-threatening illnesses including cardiovascular disease, the nation’s leading killer. The possibility of discovering heart and vascular disease in an early stage, before the onset of serious symptoms, helps doctors recommend the most effective treatment options and lifestyle changes to patients.
“This technology will help us diagnose a variety of illnesses and injuries with advanced diagnostic precision and speed,” explains Chip Truwit, MD, Chief of Radiology at Hennepin County Medical Center. "It's phenomenal! Whether scanning the heart, the brain, or the whole body, we can produce stunning images in seconds. The cardiac scans offer unparalleled clarity, revealing not only calcified, but dangerous, soft plaque along the coronary arteries. It’s an incredible benefit to our patients and to our medical team.”
The Brilliance iCT scanner joins the Radiology Department’s innovative, comprehensive imaging capabilities that also feature an Allura Xper FD20/20 interventional lab from Philips, which was installed this past summer.
Hennepin County Medical Center is a nationally recognized Level 1 Trauma Center with the largest emergency department in Minnesota. The comprehensive academic medical center and public teaching hospital includes a 446-bed acute care hospital and primary care and specialty clinics located in downtown Minneapolis, and four primary care clinics in Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin County.
For the twelfth year in a row, Hennepin County Medical Center is listed in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of the top U.S. Hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” report.
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