PETERSBURG — In its ongoing commitment to provide the best medical care to the citizens of Grant County and the surrounding communities, the Radiology Department of Grant Memorial Hospital has announced the installation of the Aquillion 16 multi-detector row computed tomography scanner from Toshiba America Medical Systems.

The Aquilion 16 can capture 16 0.5 m slices with 400-millisecond gantry rotation. The extremely thin slices allow the capturing of valuable anatomical information such as the details of small arteries or minor abnormalities of organ tissue, providing physicians with a powerful tool for neurological and vascular applications that require precise clinical information.

The Aquilion’s ability to capture 16 simultaneous one or two millimeter slices allows it to cover a larger area in a short time — a necessity in trauma cases where time is of the essence. Another exciting feature enables the Aquilion to cover a large anatomical area in a single scan, ideal for injured patients or those unable to lie still for long periods.

The advances in the Aquilion 16 allow for new types of procedures to be performed at Grant Memorial Hospital. For instance, CT angiography examinations of the head, neck, abdominal arteries and lower extremities may be performed replacing traditional invasive procedures.

“Another exciting development for the radiology department,” said Teresa Snyder, director of radiology, “is the recent board approval to purchase a digital mammography unit.” We are in the planning stages for this project now, but hope to have a unit installed within 90 days.” The installation of digital mammography will allow Grant Memorial to complete the radiology department transition to a fully digital environment, thereby allowing rapid access to critical information.