Philips recently developed a new 64 channel CT scanner that can provide high-resolution 3-D images of the body. The images it can produce are simply fabulous. Philips states that it can have sub-milimeter isotropic resolution and scan the complete human body in less than one minute with 80% less radiation exposure than traditional CT scanners. Numerous articles and pictures are starting to show up on the web. It appears that the main uses of it, at least initially, are focused on the cardiovascular system. I wonder how beneficial or useful it would be for neuroimaging? I’m not an imaging specialist but the speed and resolution of this system could lead to great improvements in neuroimaging. Even with a limited field of view, it seems like it could be beneficial to look at specific regions of the brain. There is no indication if volumetric and quantitative analyses could be performed on the images. Then again, the technology is quite new. Only one hospital in the world is actually using one of these machines.
The reported price of the machine is $2 million, which is quite reasonable. MRI machines can run upwards of $10 million. This is a technology well worth watching as it develops. We are about to enter a golden age of anatomical imaging.
Here are a few links to stories and images:
Images by Philips.
Toshiba also recently unveiled a similar machine: Link here.