Mayo Clinic is the first medical institution in the U.S. to use the FLASH CT scanner, which will dramatically improve patient care by increasing quality and patient friendliness for pediatric CT patients.
Because of the increased speed at which the scanner captures images, the motion from breathing or the inability of the child to hold still no longer causes streaks in the image. This avoids the need to sedate children or retake the scan due to poor image quality.
The scanner can also provide high quality cardiac scans for patients with high or irregular heart rates. It was previously impossible to effectively scan patients who could not take beta blockers or who did not respond well to beta blocker medicines. If their heart rate was too high, or was irregular, scanning was impossible due to lower system speed. The FLASH scanner does not require low or steady heart rates to obtain high quality cardiac scans.
Below is a link to an edited YouTube video featuring Dr. Joel Fletcher, Dr. Cynthia McCollough, and Dr. Eric Williamson talking about the new scanner.
What is the level of radiation involved for any scan when compared to other scanners agreed that it is safe for the pediatric age group.