rotation time
Time for one full gantry rotation on a CT scanner. Typical range: 0.25–0.35 s (fast, cardiac-tier) to 2.0+ s (slow, low-dose pediatric / quality-priority). Drives temporal resolution and cardiac-gating capability.
Why it matters to buyers: Fast rotation (≤0.35 s) is required for cardiac CT gating at clinical heart rates. Also drives temporal resolution in moving anatomy (bowel, respiratory). Dual-source CT achieves quarter-rotation temporal resolution (~75 ms) by using two tubes / detectors at 90° offset.
Why it matters to engineers: Mechanical limit of the gantry — bearings, balance, slip-ring brushes all scale with rotation speed. LightSpeed VCT standard is 0.4–0.5 s; VCT XT moves to 0.35 s standard. Premium and dual-source platforms reach 0.25 s.