AJ Institute to Launch Hi-end PET-CT Scan
Mangaluru: A J Hospital & Research Centre held a press meet on the launch of hi-end PET/CT at the centre on Friday, May 27. The press meet was held at Hotel Moti Mahal here, on May 25. The PET/CT installed at A J Hospital & Research Centre is of the latest mode and the first of its kind in the state. The device will be inaugurated by Sri Sri Keshavananda Bharathi Swamiji of Yedaneeru Math on 27 May 2016 at 11:30 am. Dr A J Shetty, Chairman A J Hospital and Research Centre, has invited the public to attend the inauguration.
Addressing the mediapersons, Medical Director Dr Prasanth Marla said that ever since its inception in 2001 A J Hospital & Research Centre has been upgrading its facilities to meet its objective of providing world class healthcare facilities in Mangaluru. PET/CTs are not preferred due to their high costs and low return on investment, yet it is Dr A J Shetty’s dream to provide the best of healthcare facilities available in the coastal region of Karnataka and with the addition of this device, the A J Cancer Institute now contains comprehensive cancer detection and treatment facilities. There are currently 140 PET/CTs in the country, with 8 of them in Karnataka. This particular model is the only other PET/CT device in India and is used in the top hospitals around the world.
A J Hospital & Research Centre has always been in the forefront providing the best of healthcare in the country. It has many firsts to its credit in the field of patient care and latest equipment. AJ Cancer Institute was launched in April 2013 to provide Comprehensive Cancer care with all the specialties such as Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, which was first of its kind in the entire district of Dakshina Kannada. Now, A J Cancer Institute is complete with the launch of PET/CT Scan.
Giving a presentation on the device and explaining its working, Dr Marla said that the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and the Computerized Tomography (CT) are both state-of-the-art imaging tools that allow physicians to pinpoint the location of cancer within the body before making treatment recommendations. The highly sensitive PET scan images the biology of disorders at the molecular level while the CT scan provides a detailed picture of the body’s internal anatomy. The PET/CT scan combines the strengths of these two well-established imaging modalities into a single scan. The majority of PET/CT scans are performed for oncologic applications. Physicians utilize PET/CT scans for diagnosing, staging and evaluating treatments for their cancer patients. A PET scan helps the physician distinguish between living and dead tissue or between benign and malignant disorders. PET imaging provides the physician with additional information about cellular activity which guides the characterization of a questionable abnormality as malignant or benign. A PET/CT scan can show the extent of disease. It can also help physicians monitor the treatment of disease.
After treatment is complete, a PET/CT scan allows the physician to investigate suspected recurrence of cancer, revealing tumors that might otherwise be obscured by scar tissue resulting from surgery and radiation. A PET/CT scan puts time on your side; the earlier the diagnosis and the more the assessment of the extent of disease, the better the chance for successful treatment.
The PET/CT installed at the AJ Cancer Institute is a SIEMENS Biograph mCT 20 Excel. This state-of-the-art tool will aid in detecting disease earlier, characterizing disease more accurately as well as improving therapy planning and monitoring. The ability to detect disease sooner and to accurately monitor disease progression is a major focus in PET/CT imaging. These requirements demand high image quality to see small details in any organ, with quantitative accuracy. This PET/CT exhibits exceptional image quality throughout the entire field of view giving clinicians the diagnostic confidence to make sound clinical decisions. The Biograph mCT 20 Excel is a whole-body PET/CT tomograph designed for the purposes of oncological, neurological and cardiac imaging and diagnosis. With a single noninvasive procedure, the Biograph produces remarkable CT and PET/CT images that reveal highly detailed anatomy and biological processes at the molecular level.