Photo: Ashley Fajardo, GRMC radiology technician, shows off the new 160-slice CT scanner, which is the most advanced scanner in the state, as well as in El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, Ariz.

Ashley Fajardo, Gila Regional Medical Center radiology technician, showed the scanner, the most advanced in New Mexico and the surrounding area, including in El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, Ariz.

She pointed out a heart monitor connected to the scanner that offers information allowing the technicians to get clear pictures.

The scanner will also allow virtual colonoscopies.

"The radiation dose is lower, because of the speed of the scanner," Fajardo said. "And the dose is based on body size." She also pointed out that the table is wider, so a patient's arms don't fall off.

The cost of having a scan done on the new scanner is the same as that done on the old scanner.

"We can do cardio exams to look at arteries for blockages," she said.

Lisa McConchie of Toshiba, the manufacturer of the scanner, has been doing training for the technicians. She pointed out how clear the three-dimensional images are on a computer monitor.