science · 25 November 1975 · 50 years ago
In 1975, the first U.S. patent for a whole-body X-ray scanner was issued to Robert S. Ledley (No. 3,922,552). The ACTA (Automatic Computerized Transverse Axial) diagnostic X-ray scanner revolutionized medical diagnosis. The ACTA can make a three-dimensional analysis of all organs and parts of the body in a series of cross-section images using thin X-ray beams and high power computer processing of the collected data. Using the ACTA, diagnosis of tumours, infection or bleeding is possible even deep within large organs, and it can give improved radiation therapy for cancer.
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