Back

Portable CT Scanner: An Overview for RTs

  • Categories news
  • Date November 4, 2022

Here we cover portable CT scanner technology, how it works, how it has advanced, and the benefits and drawbacks of mobile CT scanner systems.

Portable CT: An Overview for RTsPortable CT: An Overview for RTs

Author: Rahma Khedri (RTT), Application Specialist

Computed tomography (CT) is a common place diagnostic imaging tool, with over 70,000,000 CT exams performed annually in the United States. There are a wealth of indications for performing CT-based exams, including evaluation of cerebrovascular disease, intracranial hemorrhage, sinusitis, pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection, fractures, and many types of tumors. Innovations in CT technology have increased in the past few decades, resulting better image quality, more widespread applications, and lower radiation doses for patients. One of the notable advances that we will discuss in this article is the portable CT scanner.

An Overview for RTs

Table of Contents

History of the Portable CT

In the 1970s, the world’s first portable CT scanner was launched by Medical Coaches, Inc. via their founder Ian Smith’s deal with Peru. This mobile CT scanner was primarily used for head scans, but it also aimed to provide cross-sectional images of the heart.

In the 1990s, CT scanners were divided into two main divisions, “Fixed CT” and “Portable CT.” A fixed CT scanner is huge, has a complex power supply, and is difficult to move, while a portable CT scanner, also known mobile CT scanner, is compact, light, and easy to transfer form place to place.

In fact, CT scanner technology has evolved so much, not only does it allow for higher-quality multi-functional imaging and easier transport to the patient’s point of care, but these days, mobile healthcare units even offer a mobile full-body CT scanner, mobile stroke ambulance, and even a mobile CT clinic.

Review: How CT Scans Work

In brief, a CT scanner combines a sequence of X-ray images taken from various angles, which are then turned into cross-sectional images, or slices, of the bones, blood vessels, and soft tissues using a computer. The CT scanning technique begins with the patient lying on a bed that slowly moves across a gantry while an X-ray tube rotates around them. The CT scanner computer then creates 2D images of the treated slice of the body, which is typically 0.04 to 0.4 inches thick, and then combines the 2D images to form a 3D image of the body, delivering substantially higher-quality imaging in a shorter period of time than ordinary X-ray equipment. The scan results are then ready within 15 to 30 minutes, allowing radiologists to review and interpret the scan almost as soon as it is completed.

As a result, computed tomography has become one of the most important diagnostic technologies developed in the last 30 years. And now, with advancements in the technology, it’s mobile.

Explore the CT package and find courses on CT procedures
new techniques, and so much more
32+ credits for only $ 29.99

The Need for a Portable CT

It is important to remember that fixed CT scanners are enormous pieces of equipment weighing up to almost 9,000 pounds (4,000 kg), and they rely on high-voltage capacities and cooling machinery. In certain cases, such as the early care of stroke patients, providing care to battlefield wounded, or in medical emergency rooms, fixed CT scanners are simply too inconvenient to be used effectively. The immobility of CT scanning machines, as well as the absence of quick access to CT scans, is a significant obstacle when dealing with patients who require immediate care, such as those suffering from strokes or brain injuries.

Transporting a critically ill patient to radiology for regular examinations necessitates not only staffing resources, time, and energy, but it also exposes the patient to unnecessary stress and risk. So, instead of taking the patient to radiology, the mobile CT scanner may now be wheeled right into the patient’s room for bedside operations.

Advances in Portable Scanner

Portable, full-body, 32-slice CT scanner machines are a multi-departmental imaging tool, and their mobility means that any space in the facility can become an imaging suite. The equipment has an impressive 85 cm gantry and a field of view of 60 cm.

Advances in Portable CT

These machines are specially built to accommodate patients of all sizes and to enable CT imaging wherever it is required, such as the operating room, the intensive care unit, radiation oncology suites, and the emergency department. And unlike fixed CT scanners, where the table moves the patient through the gantry, in mobile CT scanners, the gantry moves over the patient while the table remains stationary. Using mobile CT, we can image as little as 4 centimeters and as much as 2 meters with a single pass from the head to the toe.

A portable CT has lead lining built into the machine, and some offer an optional lead shield that is mounted to the imaging workstation for further radiation protection.

Mobile CT scanners can be plugged into any regular wall outlet so there are really no building or facilities costs. They run on battery power, and because they come equipped with an internal drive system, they can be moved easily to wherever they are needed. The built-in drive system allows the portable CT scanner to move around much in the same way as a portable chest x-ray system. There are mounted cameras and built-in safety bumpers, so just in case you bump into something, it will stop itself. And driving the system is very simple: you push forward, and it’ll move forward; pull towards you, and it’ll come towards you; and a making a twisting motion with your hand will move the machine left or right.

Portable CT scanners also work with PACS, EMR, planning systems, surgical navigation systems, and robotic navigation systems, and can even transmit images wirelessly to the workstation that comes with it (which is also portable).

Advances in CT

A 16-slice portable CT scanner, which provides high-quality CT, CT angiography, and CT perfusion scans, is also an available option.

What have portable scanners added to the field of diagnostic imaging?

In comparison to the fixed CT scanner, mobile CT scanners have been found to have very positive outcomes. The use of mobile CT has been shown to result in a decrease in the time in takes for patients to receive diagnostic imaging; improved patient recovery and better patient management accuracy, and shorter hospital stays.

Portable CT machines have also increased patient access to imaging services, as well as responsiveness to patients’ specific needs. A key point here is the mobile CT’s capacity to perform imaging exams on a patient without the need for repositioning and limiting the patient movement, making CT scans feasible even for the most unstable and critically ill patients. In fact, when transferring critically ill patients for imaging, the incidence of adverse events can be as high as 71%, with transportation risks including critical equipment becoming compromised (such as monitoring devices, intubation tubes, intravenous lines) and physical concerns such as hypotension, hypoxia, and increased intracranial pressure. Even if the transport team is well-trained and made up of experienced, senior staff, adverse events still occur 15% of the time. A portable CT scanner can reduce these adverse events significantly, saving lives.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Portable CT

Advantages

Using a mobile CT scanner in various healthcare procedures has many benefits:
  • Faster, More Accurate Diagnoses: In less than 30 minutes, portable CT scanners can produce very high-quality 3D images, allowing physicians to spot abnormalities and health problems faster. The superb quality of the images allows physicians to make diagnoses with greater confidence and accuracy. And due to their speed, mobile CT scanners can help to prevent a patient’s health from deteriorating while they wait for imaging services or due to complications from transportation to imaging departments.
  • Improved Patient Safety: In many ways, using portable scanners improves healthcare services. For starters, it reduces the need for repeat exams because it produces high-quality images. And these machines enable us to receive patient exam results in a much shorter period of time (this is in contrast to older models, which need to wait for films to process). Portable CT can also support the implementation of novel techniques, like telepathology, with the team able to send digital pathology photos to other experts for consultation very quickly. Teleradiology services can also be incorporated into the clinic by using such modern equipment.
  • Reduced Downtime: Most traditional CT scanners rely on cords and direct electric power. As a result, power loss or electrical damage can have an impact on services. The batteries in a portable CT scanner are long-lasting, allowing for the the continuation of CT images services, even in the event of power outage. They also process images themselves, which can then be uploaded to cloud storage. Essentially, they allow for completed images and diagnostic services to continue to be delivered, even while traditional scanners are down.

Disadvantages

Although imaging the patient at the bedside has benefits, the relative cost, image quality, diagnostic benefit, and radiation dose must all be considered:
  • Cost: The costs for purchasing and operating a mobile CT scanner may be higher than that for a fixed CT scanner. The table below shows a comparison of the initial and operating costs for fixed and portable CT scanner equipment.

Disadvantages in CT

  • Transportation: Some technologists may may have difficulty moving a portable CT scanner because of its height and weight, especially if it needs to be moved across a long distance. Moving the machine over uneven, cushioned, or carpeted floors can also be difficult. Likewise, when the patient and the mobile CT are on different levels of the same building or in different buildings, transporting the machine can be exceptionally difficult. Manufacturers often advise that two people move the machine in such cases.

Conclusion

As we know, transporting a critically ill patient to radiology for routine examinations not only requires staffing resources, time, and energy, but it can also put the patient through unnecessary stress and increased risk. Imaging of these patients is important enough to warrant the increase in both cost and risk associated with transporting them. But a portable CT scanner provides a better way to obtain diagnostic imaging for the critical care patient population. among a host of other benefits. In fact, the success of the mobile CT scanner is thought to have influenced the development of the mobile MRI system. And as the technology continues to advance, we may begin to see reduced costs and therefore increased availability of portable CT services.

References

Disclaimer: The information provided on this website is intended to provide useful information to radiologic technologists. This information should not replace information provided by state, federal, or professional regulatory and authoritative bodies in the radiological technology industry. While Medical Professionals strives to always provide up-to-date and accurate information, laws, regulations, statutes, rules, and requirements may vary from one state to another and may change. Use of this information is entirely voluntary, and users should always refer to official regulatory bodies before acting on information. Users assume the entire risk as to the results of using the information provided, and in no event shall Medical Professionals be held liable for any direct, consequential, incidental or indirect damages suffered in the course of using the information provided. Medical Professionals hereby disclaims any responsibility for the consequences of any action(s) taken by any user as a result of using the information provided. Users hereby agree not to take action against, or seek to hold, or hold liable, Medical Professionals for the user’s use of the information provided.