PET/CT

[Spokane, WA] SEPTEMBER 15, 2020. Recently, Inland Imaging acquired and installed a new, next-generation digital PET/CT scanner — the Biograph Vision, designed and manufactured by Siemens Healthineers. The new scanner — the first Siemens digital PET/CT to be installed on the West Coast — leverages advanced digital technology to help Inland Imaging’s sub-specialized radiologists detect small, disease related lesions earlier, better quantify them, and more fully understand disease progression and response to treatment.

“Inland Imaging’s new digital PET/CT scanner represents the next-generation of technology. It is the most advanced and most sensitive PET/CT technology available in our region today, designed to deliver an exciting new level of precision molecular imaging, and improved patient experience,” said Dr. Irene Cruite, the Nuclear Medicine Section Head at Inland Imaging. “This new scanner takes a technological leap forward in quality and efficiency. It has improved our ability to deliver the answers patients and their health care providers need to provide accurate and timely diagnosis, stage disease, determine the best course of treatment, and monitor disease progression and response to treatment. The digital capability enhances our ability to detect and characterize small lesions, and it increases conspicuity of subtle areas of disease that would otherwise not be apparent. It is also synergistic with new radionuclide therapies, new PET/CT imaging radiotracers, and new applications of current radiotracers. In addition, the new scanner is designed with a series of features that allow for metal artifact reduction, lower patient radiation exposure and shorter scan times for patient comfort without impacting image quality. Its wide-bore design also helps improve patient experience and comfort. This new technology has enhanced our ability to deliver value-oriented care and potentially improve patient outcomes by getting the right treatment to the right patient at the right time.”

THE DIGITAL DIFFERENCE

“Digital PET/CT clearly surpasses analog scanners in terms of image quality, detail, and sharpness,” said David Mariner, manager of Inland Imaging’s Nuclear Medicine team. “With better spatial resolution and increased sensitivity, this technology delivers much higher image quality using less radiation and shorter scan times when compared to older analog scanners.

More detailed image quality translates into more accurate diagnoses, allowing patients and their providers to take advantage of the most effective early treatment options available. We are scanning using 40-70% less radioactive isotope than would be used with an older analog scanner, which significantly reduces patient radiation exposure. In some cases we have successfully scanned patients at half the radiation dose that similar groups around the country consider to be their low dose protocol on newer scanners. We have also reduced scan time by 20-40%, which minimizes patient motion during image acquisition and improves patient comfort. The new scanner also allows us harness new PET/CT applications and new radionuclide therapies, thereby providing leading-edge services to our patients and their health care providers.”

“We are excited to be the first to bring this new digital PET/CT technology to the region,” said Bob White, chief operating officer at Inland Imaging. “Its high resolution and enhanced imaging quality allow our highly trained radiologists to identify small lesions much earlier. By incorporating the capabilities of this advanced digital PET/CT scanner into our practice, we can improve patient safety and comfort, identify disease sooner, improve outcomes, reduce costs, and help patients take advantage of the most effective therapies.”