HeartScan International is one of the very few diagnostic centers in the world using the ultrafast, low radiation   e-Speed EBCT scanner for cardiac and body imaging.

At the blazing speed of 30 images per second,  the e-Speed is undoubtedly the world's fastest CT scanner.       e-Speed has a true scan speed of  33 msec per slice which is 10 times faster than the true scan speed of the latest 256 slice CT (500 msec) and still 5 times faster than the latest dual source CT (166 msec).  This speed advantage ensures consistent and accurate imaging of the beating heart without the need for medications to slow down the heart beat.  A diagnostic image set is obtained in every patient even when the heart beat is 140 beats/min or when it is irregular such as in atrial fibrillation.  In the case of 64 slice CT , due to its slower scan speed, it is necessary to slow down the patient's heart rate to below 60 beats per minute before a proper scan  can be performed.  This is achieved by administering high dose beta blockers which is time consuming and which can be dangerous in patients with weak hearts.  

Radiation dosage is another important issue.  It would be counterproductive to undergo a diagnostic scan only to have one's cancer risk increased by the test itself. The e-Speed delivers 10 times lower X -ray radiation dose compared to 64 slice CT.  With the advent of 128 or 256 slice CT scanners, the amount of cancer  causing radiation given to the patient is even much higher. It is unethical to subject a patient to unnecessary radiation when the same accurate test can be performed with a scanner which gives much lower radiation.

Plaque Detector or Coronary Artery Calcium Scan 

Non Invasive Electron Beam Angiogram of the Heart

Low Radiation Body Scan

Virtual Colonoscopy

EBCT is still the gold standard for coronary artery calcium scanning.  Almost all scientific validation and clinical studies to date on coronary artery calcium scanning have been performed using EBCT and these results do not necessarily apply to multislice CT which is a different technology. It is possible to perform coronary artery calcium scanning with 64 slice CT but it is necessary to give beta blockers to slow down the heart to below 60 beats per minute before the scan is performed in order to obtain an accurate score. Many 64 slice CT diagnostic centers take a short cut and do not observe this technical requirement.

Electron Beam Angiogram using e-Speed is an easy and accurate way to check your heart for blockages even when the heart disease is at an early stage.  e-Speed can image the heart in colour 3D without catheterization or hospital admission.  No premedication is required.  The procedure is  quick (taking only 20 minutes), painless,  and with minimal risk. You can view your heart on the spot.    

What is 3D - QCT Bone Mineral Densitometry?

Quantitative Computed Tomography, or QCT Densitometry is a method used to measure bone mass. It is one of the three methods cited by the National Osteoporosis Foundation as useful and safe in the evaluation of osteoporosis.  It is more precise than the conventional (2D) method, so monitoring patients at yearly intervals yields clinically useful results.

How is QCT different from other methods?
QCT and DXA both measure spinal bone mass, a significant advantage over methods, e.g. ultrasound for the knee or the heel, which do not measure bone mass, and cannot be used to measure the spine where most osteoporotic fractures occur. 

  

Spinal bone is a mixture of high-turnover trabecular (spongy) bone and slowly-changing cortical (compact) bone. The conventional  2D DXA measures the sum of these two compartments but also includes aortic calcification and osteophytes in the calculation of bone mineral in the spine which affect the accuracy of the measurements.   Only 3D QCT isolates the metabolically-active trabecular bone for analysis which makes it  useful for clinical follow up following therapy.