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"PET-CT imaging has become critical in radiation oncology patientmanagement," said Shyam Paryani, MD, MS, MHA, director of FROG. "Patients willbenefit from having these mobile scanners in their communities. They needmultiple PET-CT scans throughout the course of treatment and bringing theimaging to them will spare them a multiple-hour drive when they already are inpoor health."
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FROG is the first customer to receive Siemens' enhanced mobile Biographsystems. The system has been completely redesigned to incorporate hardwareimprovements such as a shorter gantry to reclaim critical space in the scanroom, a special cantilevered patient handling system with automatic lock-downand a completely integrated closed loop cooling system with no externalchilling requirement. The new mobile systems also boast significant workflowimprovements to facilitate remote operation and support for multiple siteconnectivity. The mobile system has over 50% faster set-up times, an advancedmedia viewer and front mounted gating inputs, adding up to improved ergonomicsand ease of use.
These are also the first mobile PET-CT systems to feature TrueV, extendedfield of view technology and they are upgradeable to High-Definition PET (HD-PET), the newest innovation in PET-CT technology from Siemens, which providesdistortion-free imaging throughout the entire field of view. When TrueV andHD-PET are combined, FROG physicians will have a larger and clearer field ofview than they have experienced with older technology. The result will yieldimproved resolution all the way down to 2 mm. That means physicians will beable to clearly visualize the smallest of lesions from the center of the PETimage to the edges.
"Our goal is to provide all medical communities with access to the bestand newest molecular imaging technologies available," said Michael Reitermann,president, Siemens Healthcare, Molecular Imaging. "By enhancing our mobilePET-CT offerings, patients living in any area of the country can benefit fromthe promise of earlier, more targeted cancer treatment."
FROG physicians routinely participate in national clinical trials. Nowwith access to improved mobile imaging they will be able to enroll morepatients in these trials of innovative radiation therapy treatment methods.For instance, a number of clinical trials are examining the effects of image-guided radiation therapy, where the goal is to determine if these highlytargeted treatments can improve patient outcomes while decreasing the relatedtoxicity when radiation is delivered near critical healthy structures.
About Siemens Healthcare
Siemens is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcareindustry. The company is a renowned medical solutions provider with corecompetence and innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologiesas well as in knowledge engineering, including information technology andsystem integration. With its laboratory diagnostics acquisitions, Siemens willbe the first fully integrated diagnostics company, bringing together imagingand lab diagnostics, therapy, and healthcare information technology solutions,supplemented by consulting and support services. The company
