Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (JS)
Mangaluru, May 25: Dr Prashanth Maarla, medical director of A J Hospital at a press meet here on May 25 revealed that the hospital will be launching a Hi-End PET / CT Scan.
Addressing media persons, Dr Maarla said, "Ever since its inception in 2001, A J Hospital and Research Centre has been upgrading its facilities to meet its objective of providing world class healthcare facilities to the city. A J Hospital and Research Centre has always been in the forefront providing the best of healthcare that matches the best in the country. It has many firsts to its credit in the field of patient care and latest equipment. A J Cancer Institute was launched in April 2013 to provide comprehensive cancer care with all specialties such as radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgical oncology and nuclear medicine. It is the first of its kind in the entire district of Dakshina Kannada. A J Cancer Institute is now complete with the launch of PET / CT Scan."
"Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computerized Tomography (CT) are both state-of-the-art imaging tools that allow physicians to pinpoint the location of cancer within the body before making treatment recommendations. The highly sensitive PET scan images the biology of disorders at the molecular level, while the CT scan provides a detailed picture of the body’s internal anatomy. The PET/CT scan combines the strengths of these two well-established imaging modalities into a single scan." Dr Maarla added.
"The majority of PET/CT scans are performed for oncologic applications. Physicians utilize PET/CT scans for diagnosing, staging and evaluating treatments for their cancer patients. A PET scan helps the physician distinguish between living and dead tissue or between benign and malignant disorders. PET imaging provides the physician with additional information about cellular activity which guides the characterization of a questionable abnormality as malignant or benign. A PET/CT scan can show the extent of disease. A PET/CT scan can also help physicians monitor the treatment of disease." Dr Maarla continued.
"After treatment is complete, a PET/CT scan allows the physician to investigate suspected recurrence of cancer, revealing tumors that might otherwise be obscured by scar tissue resulting from surgery and radiation therapy. A PET/CT scan puts time on your side. The earlier the diagnosis and the more accurate the assessment of the extent of disease, the better the chance for successful treatment." Dr Maarla concluded.
Salient features of the PET CT installed at A J Cancer Institute
SIEMENS Biograph mCT 20 Excel, a powerful molecular CT within reach to all: This state-of-the-art tool will aid in detecting disease early, characterizing disease more accurately as well as improving therapy planning and monitoring. The ability to detect disease sooner and to accurately monitor disease progression is a major focus in PET/CT imaging. These requirements demand high image quality to see small details in any organ, with quantitative accuracy. This PET/CT exhibits exceptional image quality throughout the entire field of view giving clinicians the diagnostic confidence to make sound clinical decisions.
The Biograph mCT 20 Excel is a whole-body PET/CT tomograph designed for the purpose of oncological, neurological and cardiac imaging and diagnosis. With a single noninvasive procedure, the Biograph produces remarkable CT and PET•CT images that reveal highly-detailed anatomy and biological processes at the molecular level.
Time of Flight: TOF measures the actual time difference between the detection of each coincidence photon. This additional timing information is used to better localize the event within a small range along each line of response (LOR). The better localization of each event using TOF reduces noise in the reconstructed image.
A J Hospital and Research Centre has installed the latest PET/CT, the first of its kind in Karnataka. This hi-end PET/CT will be inaugurated by Sri Sri Keshavananda Bharathi Swamiji of Yedaneeru Math on Friday May 27 at 11.30 am.