UNRAVELING THE HELIX - A PHYSICIANS GUIDE TO SPIRAL COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY

The introduction of spiral technology to computed tomography (CT) scan ners in the late 1980s has revolutionised the field of CT. Spiral CT o ffers definite practical benefits over conventional scanners and has e xpanded the role of CT through the development of new scanning techniq ues. CT scanning now rivals magnetic resonance imaging in many areas o f investigation, and for some situations is the clear investigation of choice. This review is aimed at those clinicians who have access to s piral scanning services but wish to have a greater understanding of th e technique and its clinical applications. The concept of spiral CT, a nd the differences between spiral and conventional scanning are discus sed. The various clinical applications of the technique are illustrate d.