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
| Physicians | 
| U. Joseph Schoepf, M.D.
Director, Cardiovascular Imaging | 
| Peter L. Zwerner, M.D.
Co-director, MUSC Chest Pain Center | 
| Pamela B. Morris, M.D.
Director, Preventive Cardiology |
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