In July 2009, a dedicated molecular imaging PET/CT suite opened adjacent to the cyclotron and radiochemistry laboratory at Huntsman Cancer Institute. This suite contains 2,300 square feet of space dedicated solely to imaging research.
The suite features the following:
- A large room with the GE Discovery ST PET/CT system (eight-slice CT)
- Another large room with the GE Advance dedicated PET scanner
- Large common control room for the operation of the two scanners
- Additional work area for image processing
- An electronics room
- Patient waiting area, patient uptake, patient restroom
- Hot lab, containing shielded storage areas for radioactive materials and radioactive waste
- Capintec dose calibrator, radiation safety monitoring equipment, and Capintec single sample well counter
- Centrifuge and a glucometer
- Image process equipment consists of three GE Unix workstations, two GE AW workstations, iMac computer, PCs, and a high performance server (Universal 2U Dual Quad-core Xeon with 4 terabytes of disk)
The GE Discovery ST is the result of technological innovation focused on improving productivity while enhancing patient care. Designed from the ground up, the Discovery ST is an advanced PET/CT scanner that combines PET and CT into one inherently registered image.
The system includes the Discovery Dimension operator's environment. The fused images capture essential information from each imaging technology to shed new light on oncology, cardiology, and neurology. The Discovery ST's PET contains the ideal blending of technological components down the line that contribute to optimized PET performance. It is the only detector optimized for both 3D and 2D imaging with full septa for optimal imaging of patients of all sizes. Isotropic crystal design also accurately shows lesion size and shape.
The device features thick 30-mm BGO detector crystals, selected for effectiveness with cancer radiotracers for the highest stopping power in the industry. It also contains square quad photomultiplier tubes specially engineered to boost the detector's efficiency at collecting image information significantly. It also includes a full-featured eight-slice GE LightSpeed multi-slice CT with attenuation correction.
The Discovery ST can be also be used as a stand-alone CT. It simultaneously acquires multiple adjacent slices of anatomy with solid-state GE HiLight Matrix detectors that include high X-ray stopping power, low afterglow, and z-axis uniformity and transparency.
Its optimized image quality covers a full range of applications with speeds of up to 0.5 seconds and variable scan speeds adjustable in 0.1-second increments. Setting new standards in patient comfort and quality of care, it features a 100 cm bore length and a large 70 cm bore width, minimizing patient claustrophobia. Connectivity to various systems is through PET and CT DICOM 3.0. The system includes both respiratory and cardiac gating capabilities. It also includes two GE Advantage Workstations (AWS) for image review and processing. For more details please refer to the following websites:
GE Discovery Dimension
GE Advantage Workstation
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| PET-CT Scanner | PET Scanner |
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| PET Control | Exam Uptake |
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| Hot Lab 1 | Specimen Analysis |
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| Sub-waiting |
