Computed Axial Tomography Machines By: Jay Patel BME 181 Professor: Ming Liu

What is a CAT Scan? It is a non-invasive medical imaging procedure that combines the use of X-rays and computer processing to generate tomographic (‘slices’) of the area scanned Four classifications of the types of scans: -Abdominal -Bone -Head -Vascular

Present-Day CAT Scan Machine

Background Was formally introduced in 1972 by a British engineer Sir Godfrey Hounsfield The first scan was done in 1971, of the brain Physicist Allan Cormack also invented a similar machine in the United States Both Cormack and Hounsfield were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1979 First clinical scanners were installed in 1974 Was a revolutionary invention in terms of medical imaging

Notable Advancements First invented scanners were only dedicated to head imaging Full body CAT scan machines were not widely available until 1980 Over the years, scan speeds have drastically increased going from a few hours to just minutes The resolution of the scanned images are 16x better Improved designs of the machines allow all the ‘slices’ to be put together so the image is continuous

Procedure for Scan Depending on the type of scan, you may not be allowed to eat/drink a few hours prior to scan Wear comfortable clothing or a gown will be provided All metal and electronic possessions that can be removed must be removed Intravenous contrast (if necessary) is injected into patient Patient is then asked to lay on the machine platform, and aligned

How it Functions

Image from Scan

Limitations/Considerations Cost: Ranges from $ Restriction on number of exams in a given period of time Women who are pregnant, generally are discouraged from having a CAT scan performed Risk of getting cancer Intravenous or oral contrast can be uncomfortable Future: Decrease the time needed for scan/Decrease the amount of radiation required for scan

References dangers.htmlhttp://melissaheart.blogspot.com/2011/04/cat-scan- dangers.html - 4/18/13 dangers.html /18/ /18/ /19/ /19/ /19/13