Toshiba completes first U.S. install for Aquilion 64

Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc. (TAMS) has completed installation of its Aquilion 64-detector CT scanner at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston.

TAMS' Aquilion 64-detector CT is built on the same platform as the Aquilion 32, utilizing Toshiba's 64-row Quantum detector. The Quantum detector enables the Aquilion CT scanner to acquire 64 simultaneous slices of 0.5mm with each 400-millisecond gantry revolution.

"We have been exploring a wide range of clinical applications in the field of CT angiography using Toshiba's previous CT technology, but the Aquilion 64 promises to deliver new heights in imaging quality, acquisition time and diagnostic capabilities," said Vassilios Raptopoulos, MD, Department of Radiology, BIDMC.  "Already, we have applied the Aquilion 64 to improve body angiography techniques for pre-operative planning of complex liver and pancreatic transplants.  Our preliminary impression is that this scanner will simplify and combine the capabilities of various scanning protocols by providing more inclusive and versatile studies. We will continue to use the new technology to further advance clinical research at our facility for the delivery of noninvasive diagnosis."

Additional areas of research at BIDMC include thoracic, abdominal and cardiac CT clinical applications using the Aquilion 64.  Specific clinical research will address CT urography, interventional multislice fluoroscopy, and CT coronary angiography.

Around the web

RBMA President Peter Moffatt discusses declining reimbursement rates, recruiting challenges and the role of artificial intelligence in transforming the industry.

Deepak Bhatt, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and principal investigator of the TRANSFORM trial, explains an emerging technique for cardiac screening: combining coronary CT angiography with artificial intelligence for plaque analysis to create an approach similar to mammography.

A total of 16 cardiology practices from 12 states settled with the DOJ to resolve allegations they overbilled Medicare for imaging agents used to diagnose cardiovascular disease.