Our ServicesPositron Emission Tomography (PET)
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is one of the most effective methods for cancer imaging and diagnosis. A PET scanner is basically a powerful camera. It is capable of imaging our metabolic functions, thus revealing many of the unknowns of our body conditions.
As metabolic changes occur before any functional and structural change in tissues and organs, PET can facilitate early cancer detection and distinguish between the malignant and benign diseases.
Simple compounds such as glucose, acetate, or amino acid, are labeled with positron-emitting tracers. They are injected into the patient and work as biological imaging probes. The patient is then scanned with the PET scanner to pick up any signals emitted from the tracers. These signals are then converted into metabolic images by the scanner’s computer, which shows the normal or diseased tissues inside the body.
- How can Positron Emission Tomography help patients?
- Cancer Detection
- Myocardium Viability Evaluation
- Diagnosis and Monitoring of Neurological Diseases
Cancer Detection
How can we know if one has hidden cancer, and if so, its location?
PET has the ability to scan the whole body to determine if any concealed tumour exists inside the patient’s body. Cancer cells are in general highly metabolically active and divide rapidly, consuming 2-10 times more glucose than normal cells do. They appear as hot spots in PET images.
How can we tell if the tumor is benign or malignant?
In regards to solitary pulmonary nodules, the percentage of benign and malignant cases is about 80% and 20% respectively. With PET scan, doctors can distinguish between malignant and benign nodules at 94% accuracy.
How can we know if the cancer treatment is effective?
PET can monitor the progress of most cancer treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. If the treatment is effective, the metabolic activity of the tumor site will return to normal.
Has the cancer spread (i.e. staging of cancer)?
PET scan can detect the spread of cancer cells to distant organs (metastasis), which shows an increased uptake of glucose.
How can we know if one has hidden cancer, and if so, its location?
PET has the ability to scan the whole body to determine if any concealed tumour exists inside the patient’s body. Cancer cells are in general highly metabolically active and divide rapidly, consuming 2-10 times more glucose than normal cells do. They appear as hot spots in PET images.
How can we tell if the tumor is benign or malignant?
In regards to solitary pulmonary nodules, the percentage of benign and malignant cases is about 80% and 20% respectively. With PET scan, doctors can distinguish between malignant and benign nodules at 94% accuracy.
How can we know if the cancer treatment is effective?
PET can monitor the progress of most cancer treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. If the treatment is effective, the metabolic activity of the tumor site will return to normal.
Has the cancer spread (i.e. staging of cancer)?
PET scan can detect the spread of cancer cells to distant organs (metastasis), which shows an increased uptake of glucose.
Myocardium Viability Evaluation
PET scan is particularly helpful in determining whether there is any salvageable damaged myocardium (hibernating myocardium). This kind of myocardium still metabolizes glucose even though it seems to be not functioning. With modern advances in cardiology, such hibernating myocardium stands a very good chance of regaining function after angioplasty or cardiac by-pass surgery. If the treatment succeeds, a patient's cardiac function will show significant improvement.
PET scan is particularly helpful in determining whether there is any salvageable damaged myocardium (hibernating myocardium). This kind of myocardium still metabolizes glucose even though it seems to be not functioning. With modern advances in cardiology, such hibernating myocardium stands a very good chance of regaining function after angioplasty or cardiac by-pass surgery. If the treatment succeeds, a patient's cardiac function will show significant improvement.
Diagnosis and Monitoring of Neurological Diseases
Dementia
PET images can show 3-dimensional images of blood flow in the brain for diagnosis and monitoring the progress of therapy of various neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Dementia, Parkinson's disease, Huntingdon’s chorea and autism.
Epilepsy
For some types of epilepsy patients, PET images are considered of value to localizing the epilepsy-causing epileptogenic focus in the brain. Modern stereotaxic neurosurgery can then cure epilepsy permanently by excising the focus.
Brain Tumors
PET scan is a very useful tool in the management of patients with brain tumors. It can detect any recurrent brain tumor and distinguish it from fluid accumulation (edema) or dead tissue (necrosis) after radiation. It can also provide prognostic information by grading the malignancy of the tumor based upon its metabolic activity before surgery.
Dementia
PET images can show 3-dimensional images of blood flow in the brain for diagnosis and monitoring the progress of therapy of various neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Dementia, Parkinson's disease, Huntingdon’s chorea and autism.
Epilepsy
For some types of epilepsy patients, PET images are considered of value to localizing the epilepsy-causing epileptogenic focus in the brain. Modern stereotaxic neurosurgery can then cure epilepsy permanently by excising the focus.
Brain Tumors
PET scan is a very useful tool in the management of patients with brain tumors. It can detect any recurrent brain tumor and distinguish it from fluid accumulation (edema) or dead tissue (necrosis) after radiation. It can also provide prognostic information by grading the malignancy of the tumor based upon its metabolic activity before surgery.
PET-CT Viewing Software
To assist in our referring physicians' and patients' understanding, we have been providing a simplified and easy access to the sophisticated display of PET-CT fusion images with MIM Viewer since June 2007. It is a new software display system that provides a PC-based image-viewing platform, allowing quick and flexible display of PET/CT studies.
Currently we attach 2 CDs to every PET/CT report. One of them provides comprehensive viewing of the DICOM formatted PET/CT images (DICOM Image CD), and the other contains a set of relevant pathology images selected by nuclear medicine physicians as a quick review/ summary for the referring doctors (Relevant Pathology CD).
The DICOM Image CD, which operates with a new software called MIM viewer, provides a PC-based image viewing/fusion tool.
| Mimsviewer | Mimsviewer Rollover Magnify |
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