New state-of-the-art CT scanner installed at Dorset County Hospital

18 June 2020

A new state-of-the-art CT scanner has been installed at Dorset County Hospital and is the first of its kind across the whole of the south.

The scanner is the latest technology available and will greatly improve patient experience as it has the ability to perform scanning in a way that was not previously possible.

Wrist and elbow scans can now be performed with the patient sitting in a chair, rather than lying in an awkward position; imaging can be performed in 4D; cardiac scans can be acquired in a single heartbeat and not only the location but the type of kidney stones a patient has can now be determined, allowing more targeted treatments.

The scanner can also produce a ‘heat map’ of where the contrast is going in a patient’s body and will give radiologists greater certainty as to where a clot may be.

Lead CT Radiographer at Dorset County Hospital Simon Jones said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have this piece of technology at the Trust. It will make an incredible difference to our patients – it is much more patient friendly.

“It is the most advanced CT scanner you can buy and it has so many functions that weren’t available to us before.”

Canon Medical’s Aquilion ONE PRISM CT launched in the UK this year and cost more than £1million.

The scanner at DCH is the second in the country to be installed and was funded through the Government and the capital programme.

CT Modality Manager at Canon Medical Systems UK Mark Thomas said: “The Aquilion ONE PRISM is an AI-assisted CT system built using Deep Learning reconstruction algorithms trained to reduce noise and boost signal to deliver sharp, clear and distinct images at speed.

“When combined with our range of clinical software applications it provides a powerful imaging tool to meet future radiology demands.”

Further development is scheduled for the hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging Department to allow for two changing rooms and a cannulation room.