LGH first hospital in Canada to get revolutionary new CT scanner

The ability to explore inside the human body non-invasively has taken a giant leap to the next level at Lions Gate Hospital.

LGH is the first Canadian hospital to own and operate a revolutionary new CT scanner that uses less radiation and can produce a scan in less than a second.  It also produces some mindblowing images that could be worthy enough to hang on a wall.

Approved by Health Canada in April and in operation since  July 27 at LGH, the $2.2 million GE Revolution CT scanner is the newest generation of this vital technology. And it couldn’t be in a better location. The current scanner is the most heavily used in the region, performing 24,000 scans each year.

The hospital received the new machine through the support of the Lions Gate Foundation and its CT Scanner campaign.

“The Revolution is as cutting edge as you can get for CT technology,” says Jeff Chabot, director, medical imaging. “A first-rate scanner like this will take us well into the 2020s.”

A marvel of innovation, the GE Revolution uses up to 82 per cent less radiation than its predecessors and is able to produce a scan in 0.2 seconds, greatly enhancing the quality and resolution of the images.

The GE Revolution’s capabilities are impressive. Thanks to a 16-cm scan width, the new machine can capture the whole heart in a single beat, in high definition, with motion-free coronary images at any heart rate. One-beat acquisition for calcium scoring, coronary imaging or comprehensive cardiac assessment can be achieved with or without beta blockers.

The larger bore can also accommodate larger-size patients while new software has eliminated the distortions in image formerly caused by the metal in hip and knee replacement joints.

“We’re very pleased with the new scanner because it reduces dose to the patient and it produces beautiful images,” says LGH CT Technologist Zahra Kurji.