Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed) has started using a new kind of CT scanner that it says gives doctors clearer pictures of the body while exposing patients to less radiation.
The machine is the Naeotom Alpha.Pro, a photon-counting CT made by Siemens Healthineers. Daily Tribune reported that the hospital unveiled it on Sept. 25 and that it cost more than ?200 million. MakatiMed calls it “one of the firsts” in the country.
What Makes It Different?
A regular CT scanner takes many X-ray images from different angles and turns them into detailed cross-sections of the body. A photon-counting CT uses newer detectors that directly count each individual X-ray particle (photon), according to MakatiMed’s announcement. That lets the machine produce higher-resolution images. It also records “spectral” information about the different tissues it scans, while using lower radiation doses than conventional CT.
Radiation matters because some patients need many scans. MakatiMed radiology chair Dr. Genevere Cerna-Santos cited data from Singapore’s National Environment Agency: one standard chest CT on older equipment can give as much radiation as 200 to 500 regular chest X-rays, BusinessMirror reported.
“Photon-Counting CT is the most recent advancement in computed tomography—a revolutionary innovation in the field that provides not only better imaging, but also safer imaging for patients,” Cerna-Santos said, according to BusinessMirror.
Who Could Benefit?
According to MakatiMed, as reported by BusinessMirror and Daily Tribune:
- Cancer patients: Doctors can detect complex tumors and track treatment using up to 30 percent less contrast dye, which may help patients with weak kidneys.
- Heart patients: The scanner produces less of the blurring that usually appears around calcified arteries and metal stents, so doctors can see inside blood vessels more clearly.
- Stroke patients: Fast scans and automated processing help doctors quickly find blocked or damaged blood vessels, when every minute counts.
- Patients who need repeated scans, such as those being monitored over time, because of the lower radiation.
Tribune said the hospital also uses it for neurological, pediatric and vascular imaging.
It Can Also Guide Procedures
MakatiMed’s unit includes an interventional option, which lets doctors use the scanner to guide certain minimally invasive procedures. The hospital says only one other hospital in Southeast Asia has this option, Tribune and UNTV reported.
What It Doesn't Tell Us Yet
MakatiMed has not published how much a photon-counting scan costs for patients or whether insurance and HMOs cover it. Ask your doctor whether you need this type of scan, since a conventional CT is still enough in many cases.
MakatiMed is part of Metro Pacific Health, the hospital group under Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is led by Manuel V. Pangilinan.
