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Friday, February 01, 2008
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CT Scans Get Smaller, Stay Efficient
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Would you be concerned if you found out that your doctor was looking at your CT head scan on a handheld PDA instead of on his desktop computer? If so, you'd be jumping to false conclusions about his inefficiency. It turns out that scans viewed on PDA's are just as efficient as those viewed at workstations.
A study in Ireland reviewed CT scans "for reporting the presence of an acute intracranial hemorrhage". Doctors were asked to review scans on a PDA using a particular grading system that assessed how clear and useful the scan was. Later, doctors were asked to review the same scans on a standard CT viewing workstation. The determination was that the smaller handheld device was just as effective as its bigger counterpart at providing the necessary information for treatment.
This is important because it allows doctors to achieve increased mobility without compromising the quality of patient care. This will be increasingly true as better technologies are developed for mobile devices.
Question of the Day: Would you be comfortable having your doctor view your CT head scan on a PDA?
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Thursday, October 25, 2007
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Catch Alzheimer's Early with a Brain Scan
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Alzheimer's is a detrimental disease which wreaks havoc not only on the person suffering from it but also on all of those around him or her. It takes over the brain and body, causing a loss of memory which creates pain for everyone involved in the situation, especially the patient. And there is no cure. But it has been shown that catching Alzheimer's in its early stages allows for preventative treatments which can slow the effects of the disease. One of the main methods of learning early on about Alzheimer's is through the use of a brain scan.
The thing about Alzheimer's is that it is an insidious disease. It creeps up on you. You start to notice that something is amiss but you can't quite put your finger on what it is. For some people, the Alzheimer's takes over so slowly that they suffer increasingly bad effects for many years before anyone realizes what the problem is. But the problem is there all along, and a brain scan can reveal it.
By catching Alzheimer's early through a brain scan or CT head scan, you give yourself the chance to start Alzheimer's medication early on while it can still be helpful in preventing the disease. This also allows you a lengthy period of "clear thought" in which you can study the disease, learn about the impact it may have on you and work with medical professionals for increased prevention. You want to be able to live with as much of your mind as possible in the years to come. Catching Alzheimer's early may do that for you.
Read one story about a woman's struggle with Alzheimer's which was discovered after a check-up and brain scan.
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