The development of new CT containers for the German army and initial experiences

Computed tomography is the central diagnostic imaging method in the management of life-threatening disease and trauma, and not just at home. The German army now deploys CT systems in the treatment of soldiers in overseas operations. CT scanners in a container have been in use since the German army deployment in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Apart from this location, CT containers are also used in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Those in use today are single-slice scanners with markedly limited scope for examinations because of inadequate scan length and no possibilities for 2D and 3D reconstructions. In various operation scenarios, the usability of these scanners is limited to certain temperature conditions within the container: particularly during summer months the temperature in the container becomes too high due to a lack of cooling. The time needed for tube cooling limits the short scan region even further. The range of examinations required for polytrauma patients, involving CCT, CT of the cervical spine and CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvic region is not possible under this circumstances.
These limitations created an urgent need to develop new CT containers without these restrictions.