Your Guide to Medical Imaging Equipment

There are some technological advances that are really nice to have. They make things quicker, they reduce our effort or increase our comfort, and some of them simply make work or home better. I don't have Bluetooth in my car, for example, and I still get where I need to go- but when I drive a rental that does have it, you can bet I'm using it constantly.

The technology we're discussing today, Time of Flight (TOF), is significantly more consequential in the scan room than Bluetooth is in your car, but the question still remains: Do you really need it? If you're on the fence, the following are a few factors that might help you arrive at a more clear answer.

Considering a PET scanner purchase? If you are, it won’t be long before your search brings you across the Siemens ECAT series. Below we’ll tell you some key features of the models that make up the ECAT product line and have a little historical fun along the way.

Those of you over 30, prepare to get a little nostalgic as we travel back in time to the mid 90’s. It was the best of times (economic boom, internet proliferation, The X-Files), it was the worst of times (bowl cuts, shoulder pads, the Macarena). It was also when Siemens began manufacturing the first ECAT PET scanners, the ECAT ART and ECAT 951. Given their age and rarity, we won’t spend much time on these models other than to say that they provided the framework for the technological advances that would characterize future ECAT installments.

We recently received a call from a PET/CT buyer, concerned that we had proposed a 2007 Philips Gemini TF 16 as a replacement for his 2002 Siemens Biograph Duo. Someone in his personal network had warned him that Philips scanners were inferior and he wasn't keen on taking on more risk in his practice.

Knowing what we know about the PET/CT market, his concern is understandable, and so is the claim from whomever warned him. However, some things have changed and they're worth noting. Here’s what we shared with him to help with the decision.

As with all modalities of imaging equipment, PET scanning is gradually moving in the direction of greater and greater diagnostic accuracy. For PET in particular, the biggest step in that direction of the last decade has been the development and proliferation of time of flight technology.

For those who may be using PET systems older than ten years, or newer systems without the time of flight option enabled, there are benefits via time of flight you'll want to explore as the time to upgrade your equipment draws nearer. For those who may be only just entering the PET arena, there are a number of reasons why a time of flight-equipped system shold be at the top of your list of considerations. Wherever you may fall on the PET user spectrum, we'll share below more details about what time of flight features actually do and what they mean for PET users and patients alike.

Starting this summer, all Joint Commission-accredited organizations that provide services in CT, nuclear medicine, PET, and MRI will be subject to new standards. The first of these standards will go into effect on July 1st and others will roll out gradually throughout the remainder of the year and on into 2015.