Since the installation of a hybrid PET•CT from Siemens Healthcare, Charing Cross Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said that it has been able to increase productivity during the cancer imaging process.

Reportedly, in 2008, the hospital began using a Biograph 64 TruePoint PET•CT, which combines PET and CT to show specific disease details including the metabolic and biochemical functions of the body with anatomical information. The system is used to provide detailed images, showing the stages of various cancers to ensure the best course of treatment.

The system features TrueV technology that offers enhanced axial coverage of the PET field of view by 33%, resulting in a 70% increase in Noise Equivalent Count (NEC) performance. It is said to double the clinical performance or allows 50% less injected dose to the patient.

TruePoint technology is also expected to improve lesion detection for diagnostic confidence. The resulting improvement in image quality will speed up clinical decision making, thereby improving patient throughput.

The recently launched Biograph mCT from Siemens takes PET•CT productivity to a new level, as the system combines high definition (HD•PET) platform and the Adaptive Spiral CT. The elements can be used together or standalone, so hospitals can benefit from dual imaging or traditional CT as required. Hybrid imaging devices yield numerous benefits. By siting a system that can perform two functions in one, hospitals can instantly save on the time, space and costs associated with dual installations.

Kuldip Nijran, consultant physicist of nuclear medicine at Charing Cross Hospital, said: “The productivity of medical imaging equipment is an important factor to consider in the decision making process and hybrid systems are ideally equipped to deliver in this area. We are scanning on average three times as many patients per day, which is a huge increase.”

Lawrence Foulsham, product manager for molecular imaging and oncology at Siemens Healthcare, said: “Productivity is high on the NHS agenda as Trusts look to gain maximum efficiency and utilisation from capital investment. The PET•CT at Charing Cross Hospital has done just this, unlocking cancer management performance to save time, space and costs now and over the long term.”