WARE  Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware recently installed a new 16 slice CT Scan within its Radiology Department.

CT (also called computed tomography or a CAT scanner), has become one of the most important tools to diagnose head and spine injuries, lung and liver disease, cancer, tumors, blood clots, internal bleeding and other diseases and illnesses.

"Our new 16-slice CT spiral scanner does two very important things that benefit the patient," said Gerardo Paulino, M.D., Medical Director, Radiology and Imaging Services, Baystate Mary Lane Hospital . "One is it cuts the average CT exam time, which means that each patient undergoing a CT scan will experience a shorter exam; and it does a better job in the diagnosis of diseases for patients without the need for surgical exploratory procedures, thanks to enhancement in images and clarity of exams." 

The 16 multi-slice CT scanner works much like traditional CT scanning machines, but with improved speed and image quality. With the 16 multi-slice CT Scanner, procedures that used to take 10 minutes or more to perform, now take about sixty seconds.

The ultra fast scanning is especially beneficial in emergency situations and in treating critically ill or elderly patients. The new scanner takes 16 pictures, or slices, of the body per revolution, up to four times the number taken by other scanners. The high number of "slices" results in detail so fine that technologists can now produce images of the body that show detail such as wrinkles in a patient's skin. All this takes place in multicolored 3-D image.

"It is state-of-the-art technology in CT scanning," said Dr. Paulino. "The images are sharper and the information it can provide for physicians is very detailed."

"Our new CT-Scan provides clearer, better, 3-D pictures of anatomical structures like aneurysms, tumors and infections," said Dr. Paulino. "When our radiologists can see what’s inside better, they make more accurate diagnoses.

"In part to its’ speed and sensitivity, the 16 slice CT is designed to secure detailed images of patients who may not be able to be imaged in MRI machines, due to metal or pacemakers," noted Dr. Paulino.

"Having this kind of advanced technology right here improves the quality of care patients can receive in their own community close to home," said Dr. Paulino.

For more information on Radiology and Imaging Services available at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital , please call Baystate Health Link at 413-967-2488.