News and Announcements

New technology at Crawford Memorial Hospital will offer patients a step forward when it comes to diagnostic imaging.

CMH has installed a more advanced computerized tomography (CT) scanner. A CT, commonly referred to as a CAT scan, uses special x-ray equipment that produces multiple images of the inside of the body to detect a variety of diseases and conditions. Fast, painless, noninvasive and very accurate, a CT scan creates detailed pictures of internal organs, bones, soft tissue and blood vessels that typically provide greater detail than traditional x-ray.

“Put simply, this new technology will give us faster, better patient images,” noted Pat Hose, a Radiology Tech at CMH. “This, in turn, means our doctors will have even better information at their fingertips as they make a patient’s diagnosis.”

The new scanner will produce 16 more “slices” per rotation than the previous machine, which allows the image to better highlight smaller structures in the body. However, there are other benefits as well.  For example, many patients may have implanted metal devices – such as hip implants or dental fillings. These devices can oftentimes distort CT images or even render them unreadable. For example, sometimes the “glare” from a metal device in the hip can obscure a CT scan of the bladder. The system’s enhanced software eliminates that distortion and the result is an outstanding image quality with metal artifacts reduced, while valuable information remains.

Additionally, the new machine offers an expandable bore (the “hole” in the middle) which can aid patients who suffer from claustrophobia. The new bed also accommodates bariatric patients.

The new CT is installed during the renovation of the hospital’s Imaging Department. During the remodeling process, the department has been enlarged and redesigned to create more privacy and more efficient patient flow. The construction project is expected to be complete in mid-2019.