CT SmartBeam Impact In Clinical Practice


The impact of CT SmartBeam and SmartTools in clinical practice.

Lawrence N. Tanenbaum, M.D.
Section Chief CT & MR
JFK Medical Center
Edison, New Jersey

SmartBeam

SmartBeam is a hardware feature that alters filtration of the x-ray beam such that a scan technique reduction of 25% does not degrade image quality. Since lower mAs is required, longer individual helical scans can be performed; and in consecutive long exam (e.g., chest-abdomen-pelvis), scan factor modifications are less commonly required.

Our routine scan parameters, which now include SmartBeam, reduce scan factors for a typical patient by 25% (Table 1). This enables us to routinely use thinner slices in some areas, improving scan quality without sacrificing thoughput (Fig.2,3).

Table 1 :

Study
Before SmartBeam
With SmartBeam
Liver
10 mm
120 kV, 280 mAs
7 mm
120 kV, 250 mAs
Abdomen, pelvis
10 mm
120 kV, 280 mAs
10 mm
120 kV, 210 mAs
Lung apex
10 mm
120 kV, 170 mAs
10 mm
120 kV, 120 mAs
Lung hilum
5 mm
120 kV, 250 mAs
5 mm
120 kV, 180 mAs
Lung base
10 mm
120 kV, 280 mAs
7 mm
120 kV, 250 mAs

Without SmartBeam With SmartBeam
Fig. 2 : Without SmartBeam Fig. 3 : With SmartBeam


Flexible reconstruction

The HiSpeed system provides valuable flexibility in the choice of prospectively or retrospectively reconstructing image data at overlapping intervals and with a selection of algorithms.

Prescribing reconstruction along with scanning allows one to generate all the needed slices and algorithms without additional time and effort, thereby improving an examination's diagnostic utility. In other circumstances, where multiple reconstructions are not created routinely, they can be performed retrospectively as indicated by the diagnostic findings - particularly valuable for limiting unnecessary archiving costs.


Full-function batch filming

To assess throughput in the CT department, one must consider the time required from the patient's arrival until the filmed study is reported by the radiologist. With many institutions using helical CT to create more images than ever before with thinner and overlapping slices - as well as more frequent 3-D reconstruction and multiplanar reformatting - the process of filming becomes increasingly significant in terms of manpower requirements and departmental efficiency.

Most modern CT scanners offer "auto-filming" utilities, but they are relatively limited in functionality. The HiSpeed system, on the other hand, provides fully functional batch filming to address all the requirements of filming - including annotation, cross referencing, and matching windowing to the appropriate images and reconstruction algorithms. With such extensive capabilities, the HiSpeed can potentially eliminate the FTE (manpower requirement) for filming.