Dinosaur first 'patient' for hospital's new CT scanner

Monica Rodriguez, Staff Writer
Created: 02/22/2009 07:05:18 AM PST

CLAREMONT - Pomona Valley Health Center at Claremont will open its doors today but it has already had its first patient.
The patient, however, wasn't alive or human.

The skull of Gryposaurus monumentensis, also referred to as a duck-billed dinosaur, was the first to make use of the new center and its state-of-the-art, 64-slice CT scanner.

Using a CT scanner "is a great way to look at the inside of fossils without breaking a specimen," said Andrew Farke, curator of the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, on the grounds of The Webb Schools in Claremont.

The fossil was discovered in 2002 during one of the school's annual paleontology trips.

A volunteer with the group made the actual find while on a trip to southern Utah, and students participated in in its excavation in 2004, Farke said.

The opportunity to scan the fossil came about after Farke spoke with Dr. Dan Gluckstein, a physician who works at the hospital and is also the parent of a Webb Schools student, started talking about the curator's research work.

Gluckstein helped Farke connect with Dr. Johnson Lightfoote, medical director for radiology at the hospital.

The idea of scanning the fossil was something Lightfoote, who also happens to be the parent of a Webb Schools student, was open to.

The scanner "wasn't in use for patients and it didn't interfere," Lightfoote said. "We thought it was a good way to contribute to scientific knowledge."

Not only could research on the fossil expand, the work would be done without doing damage to the skull which with time converted into stone, he said.

Scanning the fossil, which is the first specimen of a new species, also offered the hospital a means of testing the new scanner, Lightfoote said.

Through the use of the scanner Farke and others were able to see teeth imbedded in the dinosaur's jaw.

"We were able to get a good image of teeth," he said. Dinosaurs "have multiple sets of teeth like sharks."

The scanner also captured images of the dinosaur's inner ear.

Being able to get such information is important because it helps scientists determine things such as how the creature held up its head, its balance and how quickly it moved, Farke said.

Data gathered through the scanning of the fossil will make it possible for scientists in other parts of the world to obtain copies of the images and study the dinosaur skull, he said.

Although the use of scanning is becoming a more common means of conducting paleontology research its not always easy to have access to a CT scanner.

In this case the museum was able to access the center's new scanner which is just a short distance away, Farke said.

Lightfoote said in the future the museum will be able to bring other fossils to the center on days when the CT scanner isn't being used for patient procedures or treatment.

When the center open's today patients will find urgent care, imaging and family practice services, said Michael Buckley, director of business development for Pomona Valley's satellite division.

Plans call for having a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the center April 23.

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