Cone Beam CT (CBCT) and traditional Computed Tomography (CT or CAT) are vital imaging technologies that serve distinct purposes in medical and dental diagnostics. While both rely on X-ray radiation to create detailed 3D images, their design, applications, and radiation exposure levels differ significantly.
Understanding these distinctions will help medical professionals determine the most suitable options for different clinical scenarios.
Let’s explore each of these technologies, how they work, and their key differences.
A CBCT scanner uses a cone-shaped beam of X-ray radiation to cover a large volume with one rotation around the patient. The X-ray images are then reconstructed using algorithms and sophisticated computer software to create high-resolution 3D images. It allows for highly detailed images using a smaller machine with lower doses of radiation at faster speeds than a traditional scanner.
Since the imaging procedure uses a single scan of a cone-shaped beam of radiation, it typically can only be used for imaging small areas on the body, like dental exams, the maxillofacial region, and conditions involving the ears, nose, or throat.
A CBCT has quicker motion than a traditional CT scanner, producing images faster, allowing for better patient care, better clinic workflow, and significantly lower doses of radiation. For example, for a panoramic dental X-ray, a traditional scanner could expose patients to 200-300 times more radiation than a CBCT scanner to produce the same image.
Computed Tomography is an X-ray imaging machine that produces pictures of the body's internal structures using multiple X-ray images. The scanner uses a fan beam transmitting radiation in a spiral, and images are taken from detectors arranged in an arc around the patient to produce detailed image slices.
Those images are combined using algorithms and sophisticated software to create 3D and cross-sectional images, allowing doctors to look at specific areas to assist in rapid diagnostics.
CAT scans are used to examine larger areas of the body than a CBCT scan ever could. They’re widely used in oncology, emergency medicine, cardiology, neurology, and surgical procedures.
Unlike CBCT, traditional CT offers a much broader range of imaging capabilities, including larger body areas like the pelvis or chest. It is also quicker than MRI scans, so it is often used in emergency medicine when time is critical.
A traditional computed tomography is a large machine with a ring-shaped gantry and a motorized table that moves the patient through it while scanning. These full-sized machines require significantly more space and lead shielding, like those used in most X-ray rooms.
CBCT is a much more compact machine with a smaller, square-shaped gantry. Patients usually sit upright rather than lying down, and the panel detector rotates around the patient’s head, so it takes up much less space.
Traditional CAT scanners offer comprehensive body imaging, showing details of internal organs, tissues, and other structures. CBCT provides higher-resolution imaging but only for specific regions like the jaw or sinuses since it captures a much smaller field of view. Furthermore, although CBCT produces high-resolution images, the National Library of Medicine reports they have poorer soft tissue contrast than conventional machines.
The CBCT's smaller field of view and faster scan time results in significantly lower doses of radiation, typically around 10 times less, but as much as 200 or more times less, depending on the procedures. It allows specialists like dentists to take multiple images with less concern about patient safety.
While both models utilize computed tomography, with traditional CAT scans, each image slice must overlap so the software can reconstruct the image, requiring high-output rotating X-ray tubes. CBCT uses a low-power medical fluoroscopy tube and a detector panel that rotates around the patient to provide continuous imaging for better efficiency.
Yes and no. A Cone Beam Scan is a special type of CT scan. Instead of using a spiral-shaped X-ray beam over a large body area, it uses a small cone-shaped beam to image small structures like teeth, jaws, nose, and throat.
Cone Beam and traditional CT scans have unique strengths catering to specific diagnostic needs. CBCT offers exceptional resolution for smaller regions like the jaw, teeth, and sinuses while minimizing radiation exposure, making it ideal for dental and ENT applications. Traditional CT, with its broader field of view and superior soft tissue imaging, is indispensable in fields such as oncology, cardiology, and emergency medicine.
For tailored advice on selecting the best imaging equipment, Maven Imaging’s experts are ready to help you navigate your options and meet your practice’s needs.