September 1, 2011 — Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital (HKSH) has selected GE Healthcare’s tri-modality imaging system, which may potentially enhance the ability of physicians to manage certain diseases. The system includes positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Walton Li, M.D., medical superintendent of HKSH, emphasized the hospital’s commitment to medical research in the interest of patients and to advance treatment. “HKSH is not only a hospital that serves patients, but one that is committed to research and to the advancement of medical technology,” explained Li.
The future of PET/CT imaging is in therapy monitoring. Rather than just imaging patients at the beginning and end of a chemotherapy treatment, physicians may monitor patients more frequently to determine how well the treatment is working — that is, whether the tumor trends are going down or up.
The combination of MRI soft tissue contrast, PET metabolic insight, and precise CT anatomical reference, enabled by a patient transport system and image fusion, may hold promise for managing patient care.
The PET/CT + MR system consists of two scanning devices, a mobile patient system and the latest image registration application running on the company’s Advantage Workstation. This allows a patient to be moved from one device (PET/CT) to the other (MR) without changing positions on the table. The technology is designed to accurately capture images and correlate information from PET, CT and MRI imaging technologies.
For more information: www.gehealthcare.com