High-Resolution SPECT Cuts Imaging Time in Half

Better cardiac diagnosis and fewer hospitalizations are the promise with newly FDA-cleared CardiArc, a SPECT imaging device that will give physicians sharper images of blood flow and function of their patients hearts — in half the time previously required.
Offered by CardiArc Ltd., the patented, smaller and faster technology for cardiac single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has twice the resolution of existing devices. The system is as small as an executive chair, runs on 110 Volts AC and fits easily in a 6 by 7 foot exam room without remodeling.
The device has no visible moving parts and uses solid-state CZT technology (cadmium zinc telluride). Patients sit upright, without rotating or holding arms over their heads. Scan times are very fast, ranging from two to six minutes at physician discretion.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) — conducted using devices with longer imaging times and lower resolution than CardiArc's new device — showed that SPECT imaging is an important new tool for emergency department physicians making admitting decisions about patients suspected of having a heart attack. For patients with possible heart disease, the technology can mean early diagnosis and for those evaluated for heart attacks, fewer hospitalizations.