The IQON spectral CT scanner manufactured by Philips Healthcare has been installed at the beginning of May 2016 in our department of radiology. The CT scanner is performing all types of examinations but is more dedicated to patients referred from the emergency unit. We are performing an average of 40 patients per day with approximately half of them coming directly from the emergency room. After a few months of use, this machine with a 4 cm coverage, rotation time of 0.27 sec and spectral data analysis “on demand” appears especially designed for emergency cases and will definitely change our work-up of such patients where CT constitutes the front line examination with a major role in patient triage. The Spectral Diagnostic Suite is designed to display the spectral data very rapidly after the CT acquisition. The radiologist is able to load the images and analyze the spectral data within 2-3 minutes. In the scenario of emergency situations, some characteristics of the spectral CT seem very promising. The aim of this article is to share with you our preliminary experience of the IQON CT and highlight the applications which seem to be the most useful in the emergency situations.
Key words
Spectral CT, computed tomography, abdominal emergencies, pulmonary embolism