The Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio) is considering revising its standard operating procedure for patients with acute cerebrovascular disease. The clinic has added a Siemens Medical Solutions (Iselin, N.J.) Sensation 16 CT scanner to its neuroradiology arsenal. Thomas Masaryk, M.D. and head of neuroradiology at Cleveland Clinic, says, “The Sensation 16 CT scanner is going to challenge MR a little bit in the diagnosis of acute cerebrovascular disease.”

Until recently, MR was tool of choice for evaluating cerebrovascular disease. Sensation 16 is, however, rapidly becoming the preferred alternative. Why the shift? Masaryk explains, “We’re using Sensation 16 a lot because the acquisition time is faster and the syngo user interface for post-processing is more robust and user-friendly.”

Sensation 16 also can shave considerable time off the diagnosis and treatment process. With stroke, physicians only have six hours to diagnose and treat a patient. When diagnosis takes a significant amount of time, there is less time for treatment. Masaryk notes, “There is no comparison between the amount of time it takes to complete an MR and a Sensation 16 CT scan. The longest time is in prepping the patient.”

Another plus of CT at Cleveland Clinic is that the CT scanner is staffed around the clock so a technologist is always on hand to complete the scan; MR is limited to two shifts. Masaryk says, “That’s a lot faster access to a system that can provide diagnostic images for acute cerebrovascular disease.” Although a few neuroradiologists may have some reservations about the diagnostic capabilities of CT, Masaryk lays those questions to rest.

Please refer to the December 2002 issue for the complete story. For information on article reprints, contact Martin St. Denis