What Types of CT Scanners Are Available?

CT scanners have been used for years to gain clearer pictures of soft tissue organs inside the body of a patient. Many people think of head injuries when they think of CT scanners. This type of scan can also be used on cardiac patients, respiratory patients, cancer patients and a variety of other patients who have a condition that requires a clear picture of internal soft tissues. CT scanners have improved greatly since first being implemented in the 1970s.

Conventional Scanners

• The conventional CT scanner was the first CT scanner that was put into practice in the 1970s. At the time, these scanners where considered revolutionary. This scanner was produced before wireless technology, so large cables are attached to one end of the rotation tube. To avoid tangling these cables, the CT scanner must be rotated in reverse after each picture rotation. This resulted in a longer scanning time.

Spiral Scanners

• Spiral CT scanners were placed into use in 1989 and sped up the time needed for a CT scan. The reason for the increase in CT scanning times is due to the ability of spiral scanners to rotate continually in one direction while the patient is moved through the scanning ring. The increase in scanning speed of the spiral CT scanner also enabled thinner picture slices of the area being scanned, which can assist the doctor in diagnosis.

Multislice Scanners

• In 1998, the next generation of CT scanners was introduced in the multislice scanner. This scanner enables doctors to capture multiple image slices during the rotation of the CT X-ray tube. This capability has sped up the amount of time needed to complete CT scans over that of the spiral scanner. The image slices captured by the multislice scanners are also thinner than those that are attainable with the spiral scanner. The technology of the mutislice scanner was released in 1998 but was continually worked and improved upon until 2001.

Electron Beam Scanners

• Also know as ultrafast CT scanners, the electron beam scanner uses a completely different technology than the rest of the CT scanners. A focused electron beam is created from an electron gun. This eliminates the need for moving mechanical parts and results in the fastest CT scanning times that have been accomplished to date. Electron beam scanners were first used to scan organs that move, such as the heart and lungs. The fast scanning capability of this scanner enables pictures to be captured as a still picture even though the organ is still in motion inside of the patient.