Stephens County Hospital Upgrades to an
Advanced Computed Tomography (CT) Scanner

The New LightSpeed16 CT Scanner From GE Medical Systems Provides High-Resolution Images To Facilitate Earlier, More Accurate Diagnosis

Toccoa, Georgia (July 12, 2005) – The Radiology department of Stephens County Hospital is now equipped with the latest in technology – the LightSpeed16 computed tomography (CT) system - that provides highly detailed images of the human body. According to Radiology Manager Michelle Chitwood, Stephens County Hospital is the first medical facility in the area to offer patients this state-of-the-art, innovative technology.

The LightSpeed16 CT scanner manufactured by GE Medical Systems allows doctors to simultaneously capture multiple wafer-thin images of a patient’s anatomy within seconds, shaving precious minutes off the exam time. The system provides exceptionally high-resolution images that help doctors to more accurately diagnose patients than ever before.

“The addition of the LightSpeed16 CT system compliments and extends the high range of quality diagnostic services that we are able to offer our patients”, said Ed Gambrell, Hospital Administrator. “LightSpeed16 will provide us with vastly improved image quality, an entry into new applications such as CT angiography, CT guided biopsies, cardiology, CT colonography, and an overall enhanced diagnostic confidence on all our studies.”

The LightSpeed16 CT system is the fourth evolution of GE’s award-winning LightSpeed® CT platform, the CT scanning system that revolutionized the industry in 1998. Originally developed in the 1970s, CT or “CAT” scans combine the power of X-ray technology and computers -- allowing physicians the ability to view wafer-thin cross-sections of internal anatomy. CT exams are used when people are ill or injured, or when a doctor suspects a medical problem that is not easily detectable from a normal physical examination. The LightSpeed16 CT scanner non-invasively assists physicians in the diagnosis of a variety of anatomical areas, including spine, head, abdomen and chest.

Stephens County Hospital has offered CT technology since the1980’s. “Because the CT images are reviewed by a board certified radiologist”, says Ed Gambrell, Hospital Administrator, “we now offer superb imaging equipment AND the “trained eye” to interpret them. All this means more accurate medical information for the physician and quicker, less invasive exam for the patient”.