Fast Definitive Diagnosis From Toshiba’s Aquilion ONE Allows St. Elizabeth Medical Center Physicians To Prevent Stroke In ER Patient
Patient Pamela Louderback had been experiencing dizzy spells for months and arrived at St. Elizabeth Medical Center’s emergency room (ER) after blacking out one morning at work. Unbeknownst to her and her doctors, she was on the verge of suffering a stroke.
Fortunately for Louderback, St. Elizabeth used the world’s first dynamic volume CT system, the Aquilion® ONE, to diagnose her condition within an hour and prevent a stroke from occurring at all. Using one X-ray rotation to capture 16 cm of anatomy — an entire organ — and show organ function over time, the Aquilion ONE is ideally suited for detecting neurovascular conditions quickly.
St. Elizabeth physicians used the Aquilion ONE to detect that Louderback’s right carotid artery was 90 percent occluded, which significantly reduced blood flow to the brain. By diagnosing this condition within the hour, physicians immediately planned stent treatment to open the artery passage, preventing a stroke.
“Toshiba’s Aquilion ONE allowed us to accurately diagnose the patient quickly, dramatically improving her quality of life,” explained Dr. Jeff Dardinger, director of Imaging, Vascular Institute, St. Elizabeth Medical Center, who interpreted Louderback’s images. “Without dynamic volume CT, the patient would have undergone a series of tests for two-to-four days, at a minimum, to uncover the occlusion. Being able to diagnose the patient within an hour allowed us to plan treatment immediately and prevent a stroke.”
“I truly believe this system saved my life,” explained Louderback. “I had several exams over the past few months, none of which could detect why I was having dizzy spells. It wasn’t until I was imaged in the ER using the Aquilion ONE that a definitive answer was found.”
Tags: CT
Category: Medical Equipment —