RSNA: Philips highlights PET/CT, SPECT/CT scanners

Philips Healthcare unveiled Gemini TF PET/CT and BrightView XCT SPECT/CT scanners at the 2009 Radiological Society of North America annual conference in Chicago last week.

The Gemini TF PET/CT assists processes involved in staging, planning, therapy and follow-up in oncology care, according to the company. With Generation 3 Time-of-Flight technology, the Gemini TF system captures data in less than 500 picoseconds.

The launch of Philips Gemini TF coincides with increased traction for oncology diagnosis and follow-up. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) final decision expands coverage for Medicare patients for 11 cancer types and adds new coverage for initial treatment in seven other cancer indications. FDG-PET exams, such as those performed on the Gemini TF, can be performed as part of the initial treatment strategy and to further guide subsequent treatment strategies. Philips Gemini TF family can now play a role in women’s care due to the recent CMS decision to expand Medicare coverage for the reimbursement of exams for the initial staging of patients with biopsy-proven cervical cancer.

Philips also highlighted new clinical images from the BrightView XCT. BrightView XCT, using Astonish image reconstruction technology in cardiac SPECT studies compared to SPECT studies using filtered back projection. BrightView XCT helps enable low patient x-ray dose levels, high-resolution localization and high-quality attenuation correction with the potential for fewer artifacts and shorter exam times. Additionally, Philips shared new clinical evidence that Philips’ Astonish algorithms for nuclear cardiology help clinicians improve their diagnostic accuracy and increase their diagnostic confidence.

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