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3/25/2005
Cardiology Associates Partners With GE Healthcare To Bring The First GE LightSpeed Volume CT (VCT) Scanner in the Nation to a Private Practice, Ushering In a New Era of Unprecedented Speed and Accuracy in the Diagnoses of Heart and Vascular Disease.
MOBILE, Ala., (March 25, 2005) - Cardiology Associates, a 25-physician cardiology group in Mobile, Alabama is pleased to announce the installation and operation of a breakthrough technology for imaging the heart and vascular system, the GE LightSpeed Volume CT (VCT) Scanner.
The LightSpeed VCT is the world’s first volume CT system and by April 1, 2005, patients of the Mobile, AL and surrounding areas will be able to take advantage of diagnostic testing on this revolutionary scanner which is able to non-invasively capture the image of any organ in one second, perform a whole body scan in fewer than 10 seconds and capture images of the human heart in fewer than five heartbeats – something no other CT system can offer.
“We are quickly coming to understand the significant benefits and medical implications of the LightSpeed VCT,” says Gerry M. Phillips, founding physician and president of Cardiology Associates. “It could become the greatest revolution in cardiovascular care since the diagnostic heart catheter.”
In a single rotation, the LightSpeed VCT system creates 64 images of the heart, each credit card-thin, totaling 40 millimeters of anatomical coverage. These images are combined to form a three-dimensional view of the patient’s anatomy for the physician to analyze. From these images, physicians will be able to view, with startling clarity, developing blockages or total blockages in the coronary arteries leading to the heart as well as the motion and pumping action of the heart. Not only that, but, due to its record-breaking coverage speed the LightSpeed VCT has the capability to attain 43 millisecond temporal resolution, which means doctors can effectively freeze the motion of the heart, helping to ensure the most accurate representation ever viewed of the human heart and the heart’s arteries.
“Historically, heart motion has made cardiovascular CT scans challenging,” says Dr. Phillips, “but with the rapid action and multiple images inherent to LightSpeed VCT we’re breaking barriers in speed and accuracy.”
The LightSpeed VCT technology will also improve the capability to determine whether the cause of chest pain is cardiac or non-cardiac related, which is particularly useful in younger patients with no personal history of cardiovascular disease and a strong desire to avoid more testing.
LightSpeed® is a registered trademark of GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that will shape a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare's expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceuticals is dedicated to detecting disease earlier and tailoring treatment for individual patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of services to improve productivity in healthcare and enable healthcare providers to better diagnose, treat and manage patients with conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases. GE Healthcare is a $14 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) that is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 42,500 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.
Cardiology Associates is a 25-physician group providing coordinated and integrated comprehensive heart services including pediatric cardiology, adult clinical, invasive and interventional cardiology, preventive cardiology, electrophysiology and the treatment of heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, cholesterol and lipid disorders. Cardiology Associates is committed to im
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