CHICAGO -- PET developer CTI Molecular Imaging of Knoxville, TN, debuted its Reveal XVI PET/CT combination imaging device this week at the 88th annual RSNA. The device features a 16-slice CT, which enables the system to perform high-speed cardiac procedures as well as tests for cancer detection and monitoring in under 15 minutes, according to company representatives.
The PET scanner utilizes lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) crystals rather than conventional bismuth germinate oxide (BGO) crystals. LSO has a higher effective Z factor (number of protons per atom)and density than BGO, resulting in higher detection efficiency.
LSO also has a short decay constant (40 nanoseconds compared with. 300ns for BGO) for good coincidence timing, a higher light output (compared with BGO), and is nonhygroscopic. CTI has an exclusive license to produce LSO crystals.
“The ability to produce high-resolution whole-body scans in only 7 minutes vs. the traditional 30-45 minutes typically required for PET scanners using BGO crystal technology reflects the tremendous advancement being made in PET scanner technology and molecular imaging,” said Ronald Nutt, Ph.D., president of CPS Innovations (a joint venture between Siemens and CTI) and a senior vice president of CTI.
The Reveal XVI also touts a Siemens Medical Solutions (Malvern, PA) Syngo-based platform that provides connectivity to other systems, including radiation-therapy planning systems. The patient port, which measures 70cm, is large enough to accommodate radiation therapy positioning devices as well as help to reduce patient claustrophobia, according to the firm.
“Rapid PET/CT scans, which integrate anatomical imaging and molecular imaging of organs and tissues in a single study, are setting the standard for patient care. The reduced scan time reduces patient discomfort, lessens the potential for movement artifact, and enhances throughput without comprising quality,” noted Nutt.
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The CT side of the system boasts a 0.5 second rotation time (32 slices per second) that provides high-speed capabilities for cardiac procedures, such as CT angiography (CTA) with a resolution time of .125 seconds and cardiac calcium scoring. The system also provides CT fluoroscopy for real-time interventional studies. By combining faster scan times with better resolution, the system allows visualization of coronary activity within one cardiac cycle for evaluation of coronary artery problems, wall motion abnormalities, and heart tissue viability.
The firm is targeting the system toward radiology practices, clinics, and departments with a high volume of functional, whole body, CT, and cardiac imaging needs. The Reveal XVI will be available to CTI’s clinical preference sites in January, with full production for the product slated for the second quarter of 2003. The unit, depending on the options selected by the customer, is priced at approximately $2.5 million, according to the company.
By Jonathan S.
Batchelor
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
December 2, 2002
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