Philips super high-res CT scanner shows you from the inside

Philips unveiled a new ultra-high-res 256-slice CT scanner called the Brilliance iCT at the Radiological Society of North America yesterday, a unit the company says not only produces higher quality 3D images using less radiation than previous scanners, but does it far more quickly -- a full body scan takes only a minute. The speedup is achieved because the rotating X-ray element spins some 22 percent faster than other models, hitting four revolutions a second at top speed. Getting in and out of the machine that much faster also cuts radiation exposure some 80 percent from a traditional X-ray machine, and Philips says the machine is accurate enough to capture a complete image of the heart in less than two beats. Metro Health in Cleveland is the first off the line with the new gear -- check the read link for a video of it in action.

[Mark @ Nov 26th 2007 1:16PM]

The speed & quality of this this is absolutely incredible.

[Jeebus @ Nov 26th 2007 1:17PM]

Does that guy lack every single tooth supposed to be in his upper gums?

[samson @ Nov 26th 2007 1:19PM]

Toothless and a bullseye in the middle of the forehead...who could that be?

[Satish @ Nov 26th 2007 1:23PM]

FREAKY..isnt it?..but a great invention for doctors..

[Technex @ Nov 26th 2007 1:24PM]

Very good news, this is the kind of news I love to here. Go Philips!

[John @ Nov 26th 2007 1:40PM]

Now I can see what I'll look like as a corpse after a couple years without any wait or death!

[SteveS @ Nov 26th 2007 1:43PM]

"spins some 22 percent faster than other models"

Wow, I hope they figured out a way to keep that thing cool because last-gen ones are crapping out after a few scans due to overheating...

[John Doe @ Nov 26th 2007 1:45PM]

Yah a full body scan takes only a minute....then a week for the scans to be sent somewhere for someone to go over them, another two days for your doctor to get back to you with the news, another three weeks for the 3 figure bill to show up in the mail, and another two weeks for the bill from the specialist who went over the scan usually to the tune of less then $100 if you are lucky. If you aren't they fracked up the bill and it has to go in for remediation which is another month.

Ain’t progress great? If Philips wants to impress me they should develop a anti-asshole ray that can target everyone in the medical rack....I mean industry.

[LesbianHam @ Nov 26th 2007 3:57PM]

So glad I live in the UK :)
I mean yea sure, it'll probably take a few more years to get these into NHS hospitals, but it'll be free when they do haha :D

[SteveS @ Nov 26th 2007 4:06PM]

Don't want to wait a week for your doctor to get the results? Well your doctor should hire somebody to call the radiologist every 5 minutes and ask "is it read yet?" for every patient that just had imaging done. And I guess you expect your doc to swallow that cost right? No problem, he's LOADED.

Want your doctor to get back to you with results in under two days? Well what he needs to do is just interrupt the other patients' office visits anytime he has to report some late-breaking results to another patient. Very efficient.

Don't want to wait 3 weeks for your "3 figure bill" from the test you just had on a 7-8 figure machine operated by a 5 figure salaried tech? The hospitals should just have a credit card machine right there, just swipe when you hop off the table. Card declined? Scan deleted. Come back when you can pay upfront. The American way.

Don't want to be charged "$100" for someone reading your scan? How about $10? Only catch is the person reading it is probably in Bangledash and they may or may not actually be a radiologist. Better yet, my 5 yr old nephew will read it for free (he's learning). I'm just being silly, these licensed professionals who have spent 8+ years in school/training, racking up 6 figure student loans, should read it for free!

What a bunch of assholes.

[tongman @ Nov 26th 2007 6:16PM]

Ah, America health care F-yeah!

[tekdemon @ Nov 27th 2007 2:16AM]

If you have something against being billed for a full-body scan, then maybe you shouldn't go and have totally frivolous full-body scans done on $2 million+ CT machines. There's a reason why it's not being covered by your insurance company you know.

And considering how many years that radiologist probably had to sit around in a room staring at slides for 14 hours a day, while eating ramen and watching their student loan debt pile up into the mid-six figures...well, I'd say that you're an a-hole if you think charging you $100 is over the top.

[PhilJ @ Nov 26th 2007 2:13PM]

The real question: when will it be made portable for those imminent metallic meatbag hunters? All the better to gain initmate knowledge of the target's weaknesses.

[PhilJ @ Nov 26th 2007 2:13PM]

The real question: when will it be made portable for those imminent metallic meatbag hunters? All the better to gain initmate knowledge of the target's weaknesses.

[PhilJ @ Nov 26th 2007 2:14PM]

s/initmate/intimate...

...annnnnnnnd I suck.

[Ethan @ Nov 26th 2007 2:23PM]

DAMN IT MASTER I'm an assassination droid, not a dictionary!

[Wwhat @ Nov 26th 2007 3:46PM]

hehe :)

[polvadis @ Nov 26th 2007 2:50PM]

Sure it's great, but will my HMO cover it? :(

[paul34 @ Nov 26th 2007 3:32PM]

Probably not. My dad's HMO has denied about 10 requests for an MRI of his back, despite the fact his doctor and other specialists have recommended it many times!

And he needs it, too! So much frustration to say the least. It's just ridiculous.

[Sean @ Nov 26th 2007 3:29PM]

Looks like engadget has been covering those medical journals on this lovely winter Monday.

[z @ Nov 26th 2007 3:58PM]

sorry guys but the data you state are incorrect, cts are much faster today than 1 minute for a full body scan

[kL @ Nov 26th 2007 5:01PM]

Does it run on a MacBook? :)

[Goatee Man @ Nov 26th 2007 6:13PM]

If I had the option of choosing any gadget in the whole wide world and getting it to run Doom, this would be it.

Think of the possibilities!

[karts41 @ Nov 26th 2007 7:14PM]

Creepy

[Sirocco @ Nov 26th 2007 7:31PM]

Ah, to be rendered in gold. Wait, is that solid, or plated?

[John Wundes @ Nov 26th 2007 7:52PM]

Meh.. Call me when you can hook this thing up to Fab@home so I can make a scale replica of my own skull. Nothing says "I love you" like a scale model of your own skull...in chocolate! Order now, and get yours for Valentines day. In uh...2025.

[zagito @ Nov 28th 2007 4:31AM]

Well, Siemens Definition does this and more since 2006. Even present in a few NHS (cambridge) hospitals..

[rod @ Nov 27th 2007 12:27PM]

This will be the end for Dr. Gregory House!

[JP @ Nov 27th 2007 3:05PM]

Fantastic technology from Philips. This tech is better than dumping tons of money to see who can build the biggest plasma/lcd panels....

[l2k @ Nov 28th 2007 12:30AM]

As to one comment above stating that "Health Care is free in the UK"? Umm...no, there is no free lunch in the world. Every pay any taxes? NOT free.

[Woef @ Nov 30th 2007 5:55AM]

with a detector of only 8 cm this machine is not optimal [/understatement of the year] for true cardiac volume scanning.

the jap's have a 16 cm (320 slice) detector ;-)

btw, how many Philips scanners of this type are installed....? one in cleveland (@ their factory) so that means this will be available for the market 2009 or something like that (W.I.P. story imho)