American Hospital Dubai unveils first operational PET/CT medical imaging scanner

The multimillion dollar, ultra fast PET/CT (Siemens 64 slice PET/CT scanner) is an advanced imaging tool providing the most accurate diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases such as cancers and neurological conditions like Alzheimer's.

PET/CT has a unique imaging capability that can detect cancers in their earliest stages. Since a PET/CT scan images the metabolic activity of the body's tissues, it can often show tumor pathology before anatomical or structural changes are evident on conventional imaging.

Studies show that PET/CT indicates metabolic changes in the brain at a very early stage and helps diagnose Alzheimer's disease two years before obvious clinical signs are developed.

"The PET/CT has revolutionized the medical imaging field. It is a powerful tool to diagnose and evaluate cancer, indicating whether or not it has spread to other areas of the body. It is also used in determining the response of a cancer tumor to therapy, which ultimately guides therapeutic decisions. PET/CT is also used to guide biopsies and surgeries as well as focusing radiation treatments,"

says Dr. Shah Numani, American Board Certified in Nuclear Medicine and the PET/CT specialist at the American Hospital Dubai.

Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET/CT) is a type of nuclear medicine imaging used to diagnose or treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease and certain other abnormalities within the body. The procedures are noninvasive and usually painless medical tests that help physicians diagnose medical conditions.

An x-ray, MRI or CT may not accurately characterize a lesion and whether it is benign or malignant. PET/CT can often make this determination, sometimes avoiding surgical biopsy. When surgery is the best option, the PET/CT scanner differentiates between benign and malignant tumors, and precisely locates the tumors and the extent of the metabolically active tumor, allowing for more targeted surgeries.

The PET/CT scanner is exceptionally sensitive in determining the full extent of the cancer and is more accurate than any other diagnostic test, allowing physician and patient to decide the most appropriate therapy. It can also differentiate between tumor recurrences and the changes caused by the patient's cancer treatment and can assess the effectiveness of chemotherapy by evaluating early response to treatment.