West Grove, PA – Jennersville Regional Hospital announced today that it has acquired a new, advanced, CT imaging system from GE Healthcare and anticipates installation of this important diagnostic tool to be complete by mid-September. The LightSpeed® VCT is the world’s first Volume Computed Tomography (VCT) system, which will offer physicians key enhancements for diagnosing disease and life threatening illnesses including stroke.

The LightSpeed VCT can capture images of an organ in one second, and perform a whole body scan in ten seconds, more than twice as fast as conventional multi-slice CT scanners,” explains Jerry Patt, M.D., M.B.A., medical director, Jennersville Regional Hospital, Department of Radiology. 

Speed isn’t the only benefit of the new scanner.  In a single rotation, the LightSpeed VCT takes 64 high-resolution images as thin as a credit card, which are then combined to create one 3-D image for the physicians at Jennersville Regional Hospital to analyze. Images taken by the LightSpeed VCT can reveal blockages in the blood vessels, brain and other parts of the body.

“The 3-D images are so remarkable it’s almost as if the patient is standing right in front of us,” says Dr. Patt.

The technology will greatly benefit both physicians and patients.   Especially once a stroke occurs; it is commonly believed that treatment must be delivered within an hour or less to ensure the best outcome for the patient. The LightSpeed VCT stroke software will offer Jennersville Regional Hospital physicians the speed and resolution required for rapid imaging of blood vessels in the brain. This enables physicians to make a quick diagnosis, identify the impact to the brain and determine the best course of treatment while reducing the number of exams a patient may need to undergo.

“The LightSpeed VCT is patient friendly.  Fast scans also can help reduce patient stress and anxiety, and some of the volume CT procedures can be done in only one simple exam.  In some instances, patients will require less contrast dye,” notes Dr. Patt.  The increased speed is also helpful in shortening breath holds for geriatric patients, patients who are on ventilators and pediatric patients. 

“We’re breaking barriers in speed and accuracy of patient exams courtesy of this top-of-the-line technology,” states Dr. Patt.

The addition of the LightSpeed VCT compliments the comprehensive imaging services offered at Jennersville Regional Hospital.  The Department, which performs on average 40,000 exams annually, provides general diagnostic radiology, mammography, MRI, PET/CT and dexa scan, nuclear medicine, ultrasound and vascular ultrasound services.  The Department’s Medical Staff are board certified and experienced, each offering areas of specialization to provide comprehensive services to the community.  The team of 50 technologists and staff are friendly, compassionate and strive to balance their patients’ comfort and privacy with the need for precision testing to yield the best results.

For more information about imaging services at Jennersville Regional Hospital visit www.jennersville.com or call 610-869-1360.  To schedule an exam with a doctor’s prescription, call the Hospital’s Central Scheduling Department at 610-869-1555.