Toshiba Presents Computer-assisted Tomography Device

Unveiled at the recent American College of Cardiology (ACC) Meeting, a new investigative computer-assisted tomography device developed by Toshiba can create high-resolution, nearly instant pictures of a patient's heart - literally in one heartbeat. "The 2nd spec 256-Multislice CT seems to be a promising next generation CT for coronary and cardiac imaging," said Akira Kurata, MD, PhD, a cardiologist on the clinical staff in the department of radiology at Ehime University School of Medicine in Japan. Dr. Kurata illustrated how the new 256-multislice CT can detail cardiac anatomy precisely enough to capture a coronary artery image that is similar to the same image seen in coronary angiography. "This device requires just one beat of the heart in order to develop a whole heart image," he said. The device is in experimental use in Japan.