A new type of diagnostic technology that outperforms traditional CT scans with less radiation is now available.

Photon-counting CT (PCCT) is an advanced type of computed tomography scan that produces more detailed images with special detectors to count individual X-ray photons and measure their energy as they pass through the body.

In a conventional CT scanner, X-rays are converted into light and then into an electrical signal. Photon-counting CT skips that indirect step. It detects each X-ray photon directly. That can make the scan more precise while using less radiation.

According to Columbia Radiology, the advanced technology is a “game changer” for diagnostic medicine.

“There’s a lot of interest in this new technology, both from patients and their referring physicians,” says Dr. Stuart Bentley-Hibbert, associate professor of radiology and vice chair of regional imaging network for the Department of Radiology at Columbia. “It’s a game changer for our ability to provide fast and accurate diagnoses without exposing patients to high doses of radiation.”

“This is very new technology, and these scanners are hard to find, but whenever I can, I like to send my patients for it because the quality of the images are much better,” cardiologist Dr. Chauncey Crandall tells Newsmax Health.

“For instance, if I’m doing a coronary angiogram, I want to get as much detail as I can, and this new scanner provides it,” adds Crandall, editor of the popular newsletter Dr. Crandall's Heart Health Report.

A CT coronary angiogram is a scan that provides images of the heart’s coronary blood vessels.

Some advantages of PCCT include shorter scan times and fewer invasive tests, especially for patients with coronary artery disease where calcified plaque and stents can interfere with traditional CT images.

It’s also useful for head and neck evaluations where traditionally high doses of radiation are needed to see small structures clearly. PCCT will allow physicians to better diagnose hearing loss, vertigo, infections and tumors in the head and neck.

Bentley-Hibbert added that PCCT will also improve annual lung cancer screening along with monitoring cancer treatments.

According to a Canadian report, the technology offers particular benefits to children, who may require frequent CT scans and for people with overweight or obesity. The downside is that the scanner costs three to five times more than conventional CT scanners but because they take less time to complete, healthcare facilities can conduct more exams daily.