Revolutionary Technology

• MUSC is among the nation’s first medical centers to offer Siemens Somatom Definition Flash — new dual source CT system with two rotating X-ray tubes combines two complementary data spirals into a single 4-D image
• Twice as fast as conventional CTs — complete thorax scan, including heart, in .6 seconds and cardiac scan in half of a heartbeat (250–270 milliseconds)
• New benchmarks in radiation dose reduction — cardiac imaging dose down to less than one milliSievert (mSv), well below the 8-40 mSv range of conventional CTs

Patient Advantages

• Reduces invasive procedures for low-risk patients
• No need for long breath hold or sedation during a thorax or heart CT
• Wider variety of patients, including trauma
• Reduces radiation exposure up to 40 percent for individual organs and radiation-sensitive areas, such as breast tissue, by turning off the X-ray tube during rotation phase with most direct exposure
• Automatic shields dynamically block up to an additional 25 percent radiation in routine exams
• Selective photon shield blocks unnecessary photons of the X-ray energy spectrum

Referral Indications

• To rule out heart disease as the cause of chest pain
• Patients at risk for coronary artery disease with equivocal findings from EKG, stress testing or nuclear studies
• Alternative to cardiac catheterization for low-risk patients with suspected heart disease
• Patients with arterial bypass to assess bypass patency
• Suspected congenital cardiovascular anomalies