Lincoln City Hospital Boasts Latest CT Technology July 24, 2026 A first for the Pacific Northwest and for Samaritan Health Services, the latest in CT technology is now in place at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City, delivering sharper images more efficiently and with less radiation. The hospital’s Imaging Department staff used words like fancy, cool, intuitive and incredible to describe the Canon Aquilion Serve SP, which was installed at the beginning of summer. It replaced an outdated computed tomography (CT) unit that had been in use at the Lincoln City hospital since December 2015. “When our new hospital opened (in February 2020), they decided to bring the existing unit over since it was just five years old at the time. But we all know that technology changes quickly and it was time for an upgrade,” said Lauri Sanders, Coast Imaging manager. “I understand that our CT was the oldest one in the system, so we were first in line for the new one. And I could not be happier about that!” Heather Ritz, CT lead, listed the advantages of the new unit: faster scanning, incredible resolution, user friendly, larger scout area, and lower radiation dose for many patients. For example, Ritz has found that some lung cancer screens require about half the radiation dose with superior imaging results. To explain the imaging terminology, a scout scan provides the initial images to ensure that the correct part of the patient’s body is being covered by the CT and to optimize the radiation used to obtain the images. “We have travelers and new techs who will really appreciate how user-friendly this unit is,” Ritz said. “It makes training so much easier.” About the Scanner The 80-slice CT scanner offers quick patient positioning, intuitive AI-assisted operations and consistent high-quality results no matter who performs the scan. It also uses less energy to operate. A CT scan creates a three-dimensional X-ray image that shows a cross-section of a patient’s tissues and organs. It is invaluable in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of medical conditions, including trauma to internal organs, cancers and vascular diseases, to name a few of its uses. About Coast Diagnostic Imaging Services Diagnostic imaging services are available at both Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City and Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport. Lauri Sanders manages a staff of 32 trained imaging technologists who specialize in radiology (X-ray), mammography, ultrasonography, MRI, CT, PET and nuclear medicine. Learn more at samhealth.org/Imaging.
