Computed tomography (CT scanner)
Tomografía axial computarizada (TAC)
- Date
- 1971 · confidence high
- Place
- EMI, Hayes, London, United Kingdom; first patient at Atkinson Morley Hospital, Wimbledon
- Credited to
- Godfrey Hounsfield (EMI) and Allan Cormack (theory); Nobel 1979; funded in part by the Beatles' profits
- People
- 👤 Allan McLeod Cormack1924–1998👤 Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield1919–2004
- Field
- Life & health
What it is
Scanner that computationally reconstructs cross-sectional images of the body from multiple X-ray projections. It was the first digital medical imaging technique and revealed the living brain.
What it led to
- Computerised medical imaging (MRI, PET) and modern radiology
- The diagnosis of stroke, tumours and trauma without exploratory surgery
- The rise in healthcare spending on technology
Built on
Made possible
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)1973-1977
- Positron emission tomography (PET)1975
- image-guided radiotherapy