In 1979, South African-born physicist Allan Cormack of Tufts University and British engineer Godfrey Hounsfield of EMI Laboratories in England were awarded the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for “for the development of computer assisted tomography”.

The first computer tomograph was constructed to be used for examining the skull, with special emphasis on diseases of the brain. The method soon experienced an enormous breakthrough in the radiological diagnosis of neural diseases. The reason is the precision and sensitivity of computed tomography.

Computer-assisted tomography cause no discomfort to the patient, who lies comfortably on his back during the examination. This makes it possible to examine even very sick individuals in an acute phase of their illness. The effect of the treatment can be monitored.

All centers in the world with access to a computed tomograph attest to the fact that the method has meant an enormous advance in diagnostics, therapy, development and research within the specialty of neurological diseases.

With modern computed tomographs it is possible to examine every organ in the body. In certain connections the method is superior to all other methods. In other situations it complements other techniques, such as ultrasound, isotope diagnostics with the gamma camera.