PET CT Scan NY

Cancer and heart disease are North America’s most unyielding diseases, but they can be fought and beaten. More and more people are winning the fight against these ailments with hard work and the advantages of technology. In fact, the science in early detection methods for many diseases is a major (if not the most influential) factor in battling cancers and other diseases.

At East River Medical Imaging, you are offered an experienced staff with all of the latest technology in scanning on site. The group of specialists at East River have set a benchmark for innovation which began when the doors to were opened by Dr. George Stassa and Dr. Richard Katz in 1985 – one of the premiere multi-modality facilities in the world.

Today, East River employs 120 full-time staff members and offers the latest in imaging equipment, including the GE Discovery LS PET/CT. East River is the first to offer a PET/CT scan in NY. Additionally, the Discovery LS PET/CT scanner helps detect malignant tumors like bone breast cancer, lung cancer or colon cancer in NY. This innovation allows the patient to undergo PET and CT scans in one sitting and it creates an image through the fusion of these two procedures.

The PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan is a diagnostic examination that helps retrieve images from within a patient. The medical imaging results are based on the detection of positrons (particles invisible to the human eye) in the body. The images physicians receive help detect, evaluate and treat diseases like cancer.

For people looking for PET/CT Scans in NY, PET scans are used most often by radiologists to detect cancer and to examine the effects of cancer therapy. These kinds of scans are performed on the whole body. But PET scans NYC can also be taken of certain organs in isolation. For example, a positron emission tomography scan of the heart can be used to determine blood flow and help evaluate signs of coronary artery disease. PET scans of the heart are often administered to patients who have suffered heart attacks and show signs that areas of the heart are alive or scarred. Another kind of PET scan - PET scans of the brain - is used to evaluate patients who have suspected or proven brain tumors, memory disorders, or mild to severe seizure disorders.

PETCT scanners have a hole in the middle and look like a large ring surrounding an examination table. Within the ring is a series of detectors that record the emission of energy from the radioactive substance in your body and permit an image of your body. The medical images NYC are displayed on the monitor of a nearby computer, which is similar in appearance to the personal computer you may have in your home.

Before the examination begins, a radioactive substance is attached to a natural body compound by the NY radiologists - most commonly glucose but sometimes water or ammonia. The substance is administered to the patient where it localizes in the appropriate areas of the body and is detected by the PET scanner. Different colors or degrees of brightness on a PET image represent different levels of tissue or organ function. For example, healthy tissue (which uses glucose for energy) will show up on the PET images darker than cancerous tissue (which uses more glucose than normal tissue).

A CT (Computed Tomography) scan is often called a CAT scan (Computerized Axial Tomography). A PETCT records anatomical information from a cross-sectional plane of the body, each image generated by a computer synthesis of x-ray transmission data obtained in many different directions in a given plane.

The CT was developed by British electronics engineer Godfrey Hounsfield in 1967. Hounsfield linked x-ray sensors to a computer for assembling images from transmission data. By 1973 the first CT machines were available for use in the U.S. Early machines yielded digital images with at least 100 times the clarity of normal x-rays. Subsequently, the speed and accuracy of machines has improved many times over. CT scans reveal both bone and soft tissues, including organs, muscles, and tumors. Image tones can be adjusted to highlight tissues of similar density, and, through graphics software, the data from multiple cross-sections can be assembled into 3-D images. CT aids diagnosis and surgery or other treatment, including radiation therapy, in which effective dosage is highly dependent on the precise density, size, and location of a tumor.

CT’s are also used to detect any obstruction of the arteries in the pelvis and in the carotid arteries bringing blood from the heart to the brain. A CT scan will show whether blood flow is constant and unobstructed. Examining arteries via medical imaging of the brain may help reach a correct diagnosis in patients who complain of headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, or fainting. Injured patients may benefit from CT if there is a possibility that one or more arteries have been damaged.

The PET/CT system is an incredible innovation in diagnostic medicine and it is an invaluable resource for patients. In the fight against cancer, heart disease and other illnesses, the best defense is knowledge; the benefits of early detection of diseases can save lives.