VALPARAISO | A new CT scanner unveiled Wednesday by Porter hospital enables quick and non-invasive diagnoses of heart ailments and other conditions, officials there say.

The $1.1 million Philips Brilliance 64-slice CT arrived last month to provide doctors with split-second, non-invasive images.

"Having this technology available means we are able to obtain the best snapshots of the function and structure of the heart," said Dr. Amjad Alkadri, chief of the Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Department at Porter.

CT, or computed tomography, uses a combination of X-rays and computer technology to produce cross sectional images, or slices, of the body.

The 64-slice scanner can take thousands of images of the heart within the time of a single heart beat, revealing blockages in blood vessels and other heart problems not easily detectable with other tests. Porter hospital officials unveiled the scanner publicly Wednesday to invited members of the public.

Doctors use the scanner to help diagnose patients whose heart conditions aren't always readily apparent, Alkadri said.

Previously, a patient complaining of chest pains might have been admitted to the hospital and administered three or four tests before a heart attack was ruled out, Alkadri sad.

"Now with one test we can tell if they didn't have a heart attack," Alkadri said. "At the same time we can look at the lungs and other surrounding organs."

The 64-slice CT is expected to complement Porter's wide-open MRI, which doctors use to look for scarring and structural defects that may have been caused by an old or new heart attack, Alkadri said.

The imaging equipment also can be used to look at vessels in the abdomen, liver and other parts of the body.

"It's primarily for patients who have vascular problems," Alkadri said.