Housecall

For the past several years, Columbus Community Hospital has offered positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans via a mobile service that parks outside the radiology department once a week. While this provides a much-needed service locally, mobile scanners are often less accessible than permanently installed units.

That's what makes the arrival of CCH's new Siemens PET/CT scanner so exciting. This summer, workers will install it inside the Mead Family Cancer Center, where it will be available five days a week starting in October.

"We'll have greater flexibility to schedule patients," said diagnostic radiologist Anthony Krueger, MD. "We'll be able to offer more days throughout the week and more times throughout the day to perform PET/CT scans."

Less delay, more convenience

Mobile PET/CT units can experience delays because of breakdowns or driver unavailability. A permanent, in-house unit eliminates this problem and streamlines scheduling.

This means patients will be able to complete scans and transition from cancer diagnosis to treatment more quickly. And because the PET/CT unit will be in a convenient location, "patients can have their imaging done in the same building where they see their oncologist for diagnosis or follow-ups," Krueger noted.

How it works and what it's used for

A PET/CT scan produces some of the most detailed images possible. Those pictures can be especially useful when it comes to cancer care.

Doctors often use PET/CT scans to:

• Detect and diagnose cancer.
• Reveal whether cancer has spread (a treatment planning step called staging).
• Monitor how well treatments are working.
• Determine if cancer has returned after treatment.

For a PET/CT scan, you'll receive an injection of a radioactive tracer, or radiotracer. Radiotracers contain glucose-like molecules, which rapidly dividing cancer cells readily absorb. Detectors inside the scanner record the energy emissions from the radiotracer.

"The glucose goes right to those cancer cells and lights up like a light bulb on the PET/CT," Krueger explained. "We can tell the difference between cancer and noncancerous growths or tumors."

A computer fuses this information with a detailed CT scan. A typical PET/CT scan takes about 30 minutes. Afterward, one of CCH's highly skilled radiologists will interpret the test results.

The new PET/CT scanner will also be useful for evaluating growths in the lungs (called nodules), Krueger noted.

Advanced nuclear medicine technology

The Siemens device is a brand-new scanner that has just been made available in the United States within the last year. "It is absolutely the most up-to-date technology," said Denise Tomek, director of diagnostic imaging at CCH.

Many hospitals in similarly-sized communities aren't able to offer in-house PET/CT imaging. "We are fortunate to be able to have this technology in a community our size — and to have it available Monday through Friday," Tomek said.

The new, in-house PET/CT unit is another way CCH is demonstrating its commitment to making high-level services available to our community without the added stress of travel.

"Our hospital board and administration feel very strongly that patients should get great care close to home," Tomek said.

More state-of-the-art imaging

Columbus Community Hospital is home to the full spectrum of advanced diagnostic imaging technology that helps doctors find and treat many different disorders, diseases and injuries. In addition to the new, permanent PET/CT system, this includes:

• 3D mammography for breast cancer screening.
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), which uses powerful magnets, radio waves and a computer to create highly detailed images of internal structures. Our wide-bore MRI unit has more space inside, making it more comfortable for those who have claustrophobia, pain or a larger body size.
• CT, which creates very clear cross-sectional image "slices" of organs, bones, tissues and blood vessels.
• Ultrasound, which uses sound waves to allow doctors to see inside the body.
• DXA bone density scans, which screen for osteoporosis (a bone-thinning disease).

In addition to applying these advanced imaging systems for diagnostic purposes, specialists at CCH use ultrasound, CT and fluoroscopy (a real-time X-ray) to perform interventional procedures, such as image-guided needle biopsies or medication injections.

Categories: Cancer center