Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home is proud to announce the addition of CT scan to our diagnostic menu.  The hospital has recently signed a contract with Shared Imaging of Streamwood, Illinois for lease of a General Electric HiSpeed X/I Pro CT scanner.  The CT scanner will reside on the campus of C.A. Dean and will be available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to serve our clinicians and patients.  “We are excited about the prospect of Computerized Axial Tomography (CT) scanning coming to the Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home. CT scan is the standard of care and certainly the residents of the Moosehead Lake Region deserve the service closer to home”, states Geno Murray, President & CEO of C.A. Dean.

CT or CAT Scan (Computed Axial Tomography) was first developed in the early 1970’s.  The CT machine is a digital computer incorporated with a rotating x-ray device that allows for detailed cross-sectional images or slices of organs and body parts.  A thin x-ray beam rotates around the patient.  Small detectors measure the amount of x-rays that pass through the exam area of interest.  A computer analyzes the data to construct a cross-sectional image.  The image can be stored electronically, viewed on a monitor, or printed on film.  In addition, three-dimensional models can be created by stacking the individual images.

From a diagnostic perspective, the service is considered the “standard of care” for many pathologies as well as for assessment of trauma.  Since CT scan allows for detailed cross sectional views of bone, tissue, and blood vessels, organs such as the lungs, liver, brain, pancreas, spine, and kidney’s can be clearly viewed.  The CT scan is considered an invaluable tool for the diagnosis of stroke, pulmonary disease, kidney stones, internal bleeding, aneurysm, vascular disease and many other pathologies.

The new CT system will be interfaced with our current digital imaging system or PACS which allows for almost immediate transmission of digital images to expert radiologists at Eastern Maine Medical Center.  “This will be a great clinical resource for C.A. Dean Hospital.  In just the last few weeks I can think of a number of times a CT scanner in Greenville would have been useful both to provide information quickly and to provide it close to home” states Brian Griffin, MD, Chief of Medical Staff for CA Dean.  Betty Crossman, RT, Chief Radiology Technologist is also excited about what this technology will mean to our patients. “Being able to perform scheduled CT scans means patients who do not drive will be able to be seen closer to home or that patients who work will not have to take an entire day off for a routine examination”, states Betty.

“CT Scan and digital radiology are just a few of the investments that C.A. Dean Hospital is making so that we can best serve our role in the Moosehead Lake Region community as a medical provider.  The health of our community and visitors is why we exist and is the essential of our mission” states Dennis Welsh, Director of Diagnostic Services and Project management.

CT scan service should be available sometime in early spring of 2005.  A public open-house will be announced in the near future so that residents can see the outcome of the improvements that C.A. Dean has made to the diagnostic radiology department.

Dennis Welsh, MT

Director of Diagnostic Services and Project Management