Thursday, July 9, 2015
PET-CT Scanner Now Available Full-time at SJRMC
San Juan Regional Medical Center is now the only hospital in the Four Corners to have a dedicated full-time, stand-alone Positron Emission Tomography / Computed Tomography (PET-CT) scanner. This diagnostic imaging system is a hybrid technology that combines the strengths of two well-established imaging modalities in one imaging session to more accurately diagnose and locate cancers while increasing patient comfort.
“San Juan Regional Medical Center is excited to bring the PET-CT technology to our community. Providing quality-personalized care is our goal for the community,” said Rick Wallace, President and CEO. “We invest in the newest state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment. Our team includes highly-skilled diagnostic specialists and radiologists.”
A PET-CT scan combines a CT scan and a PET scan into one, which gives more detailed information about your cancer. A CT scan takes a series of cross-sectional X-rays from the area the physician wants to image. A PET scan is an imaging test that helps reveal how your tissues and organs are functioning using a radioactive drug (tracer) to show this activity. This tracer collects in areas of your body that have higher levels of chemical activity, which often correspond to areas of disease or cancer. On a PET scan, these areas show up as bright spots.
Along with providing improved imaging data, it notably increases patient comfort and convenience by reducing the number of scanning sessions a patient must undergo. The PET-CT scanner is also noninvasive, painless, and takes about 30 minutes.
The source of common cancers, heart diseases, and neurological diseases can effectively be recognized by the PET-CT scanner. This can reduce the need for redundant tests and diagnostic surgical procedures.
Though the PET-CT scanner is primarily used in cancer treatment, it also has applications in cardiology and brain imaging. This technology will now help San Juan Regional Medical Center improve our understanding of heart diseases and neurological disorders such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.