Vol. 10, No. 2
June, 2000
Longer-Lasting Implants Used for Total Hip Replacement
Brachytherapy Service
Expands to New Island Hospital
Brachytherapy Expertise Benefits Patients at Winthrop’s Affiliate
New Technology Reduces Pain of Tonsillectomies
Tips for Safe Use of Insect Repellent Containing DEET
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
for Six-Bed Vascular Stepdown Unit
Children’s Health Services Program:
A Wealth of Information and Referrals
Pediatricians on Medical Mission to El Salvador
Stereotactic Technology System Expands the Parameters of ‘What is Operable’
Stroke Team Offers the Latest Treatments
Team Provides New Seizure Control Procedure
for Children
MRI Unit Receives Three-Year Accreditation from the American College of Radiology
Emergency Department Receives Adelphi University Award
Ultra-fast, Multi-slice CT Scanner Installed in Radiology Department
Installation of Winthrop’s Auxiliary Officers
Lita Reilly Elected Auxilian of the Year
Annual Junior Volunteer Awards Ceremony
Focus on Home Care:
Care without Compromise Comes Home
In the Swing of Things
Child Life Program Expands Hours and Services
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Rick Mueller, LRT, Lead CT Technologist (R), comforts a patient, who is about to undergo a CT Scan, with the assistance of Doreen Graham (L), LRT, (R),(CT), CT Radiological Technologist.
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 n ultra-fast, multi-slice CT Scanner has been acquired by the Radiology Department, part of Winthrop’s Institute for Specialty Care. The new $1.1 million scanner is used for inpatients, selected outpatients and pediatric patients, and emergency patients.
“With the acquisition of the new Marconi MX8000 ultra-fast, multi-slice Computerized Tomography Scanner — the most current helical CT Scanner on
the market — Winthrop is fully equipped with state-of-the-art scanner technology,” said Douglas Katz, MD, Chief, Body CT Scanning, Faculty Attending with Winthrop’s Radiology Department. “There are only about 50 or 60 scanners of this specific model in the United States. The Marconi MX8000 is still very new technology, and
relatively scarce,” Dr. Katz
confirmed.
The new scanner acquires up to four images simultaneously in one half-second. That means that eight images per second are acquired, as opposed to the older helical scanner, which took one image per second. With just one 15-second breath-hold by the patient, radiologists and CT
technologists can instantly acquire images of the chest, abdomen, pelvis, head, neck,
and spine.
CT Scanning is a sophisticated X-ray technique enabling a three-dimensional view of the body. Individual cross-sectional views of portions of the body, known as “slices” or “cuts,” are produced with CT scanning. With the new scanner, very thin cuts of a
specific area can be acquired
very rapidly.
Entire areas of the body can be scanned in seconds. “The high speed of the multi-slice CT
scanner is reflected in faster patient through-put,” said Dr. Katz. “Patients are scanned in much less time. For some patients, less contrast media,
the dye used for CT imaging,
will be required.
“The time saved in imaging trauma patients and cancer patients with diseases such as lymphoma, who must be imaged from head to toe, is significant,” he added.
The unit will also help patients who are very ill, or unable to lie still. The tremendous speed of the unit will also reduce the need for sedation of children.
Other applications of the multi-slice scanner include imaging of pulmonary embolism, assessment of coronary artery
calcification, and low-dose chest CT scanning for lung cancer screening. Neuroradiologists will utilize the scanner to image the head, neck, brain, and spine.
“The new scanner will greatly extend our capabilities in performing CT angiography of the head and neck, in addition to full body imaging, and allow us better and faster three-dimensional imaging of the skull, facial skeleton, brain, and spine. The multi-slice capability makes the process extremely fast. It will be of great value in imaging trauma patients and those with spine injuries,” said Donald Price, MD, Chief, Neuroradiology Section in the Radiology Department.
Lead CT Technologist, Rick Mueller, LRT noted, “With this scanner, technologists who have undergone advanced training in three-dimensional reconstruction can utilize multi-planar imaging. This includes a simulated ‘flight’ through structures such as the colon or bronchus. Technologists can also perform cardiac scoring, which measures the amount of plaque in cardiac vessels, and Dentascan, a dental implant
program.”
For further information on the multi-slice CT Scanner, call Dr. Douglas Katz at (516) 663-2374.
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