Clinical applications of the imatron fast CT scanner

Utilizing three imaging modes, Cine CT has proven satisfactory in the assessment of left ventricular mass and function including ejection fractions and abnormalities of wall motion. It is helpful in documenting pericardial constrictions, as well as in assessing intracavitary tumors and thrombi. In the lungs, it is used to document AV fistulae and to evaluate the vascularity of mediastinal masses and to exclude invasion or major thoracic vessels. It can be used, as in the conventional scanner, for needle directed lung and chest well biopsies. It is frequently used in a airway studies to differentiate fixed from physiologic constrictions and to assess tracheomalacia and bronchopulmonary dysplasias. It can be used to plan radiation ports in the treatment of breast carcinoma. In the abdomen, successful applications include its use in the assessment of renal blood flow and the evaluation of cavernous hemangiomas of the liver as well as in screening of possible aortic aneurysms. In orthopedics, Cine CT is used to evaluate patellofermoral tracking in subluxations of the patella and used to evaluate subluxations and dislocations of the radio-ulnar joint. Cine CT by virtue of its speed and satisfactory spatial resolution is a significant imaging modality for evaluating the beating heart. Other applications include the evaluation of aortic aneurysms and dissections, para-aortic mass lesions, airway obstructions and patellar tracking and forearm subluxations