PET/CT
Shared Imaging provides PET/CT technology to hospitals, imaging centers, ambulatory/ ED’s and clinics. With the choice of technology from most OEMs, we can customize software package, accessories (i.e. injectors) and slice count to match your clinical needs.
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Whether you are looking for the latest in technology or require a reliable workhorse system – Shared Imaging can provide you with a new, used or refurbished system in a mobile configuration that meets your budget.
What is PET/CT?
PET/CT scanners combine technology from two imaging modalities: positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT). This combination makes it possible to fuse anatomic information from the CT scan with molecular imaging information provided by PET imaging. With this technology, not only can abnormal cell function be detected, it can be anatomically mapped with great precision.
The basis of the PET imaging component is the labeling of small, biologically important molecules, such as sugars, with positron-emitting radionuclides. When these positron-emitting tracers undergo radioactive decay, their positions can be detected by the PET scanner. By imaging the temporal distribution of these labeled compounds, “physiologic maps” of the functions or processes relevant to the labeled molecules can be created. Numerous different types of tracers have been developed for imaging with PET, but the vast majority of clinical oncologic PET studies performed at present utilize an analog of glucose, 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG). The use of FDG to image glucose metabolic rate takes advantage of the observation that malignant cells have higher rates of aerobic glycolysis than normal tissues (1). Thus, the malignant cell utilizes more glucose to meet its energy needs. For the typical clinical oncology study, FDG is administered intravenously in the quiet, resting state and is allowed to circulate through the body for 60 to 90 minutes before imaging is begun. In the case of most malignant neoplasms, sites of active tumor will show up as foci of hypermetabolism, or “hot spots” on the subsequent PET scan images.