First Siemens ECAT Scintron Installed in Texas to Speed Cardiac Perfusion Exams

October 22, 2013 – Nuclear Imaging Services LLC (NIS) has completed the first U.S.-based ECAT Scintron installation into an outpatient cardiology facility. Gulf Coast Cardiology Group in Port Arthur, Texas, is the first to upgrade its Siemens ECAT system to Medical Imaging Electronics' (MiE) ECAT Scintron.

The scan times for the rest and stress cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) imaging protocol reduced from approximately 45 minutes to just more than 20 minutes per patient. The transfer and processing times were eliminated, thereby creating more productivity within the department while maximizing the comfort of the patient. Reducing the amount of time the patient remained under the camera not only improved efficiency but also image quality.

Gulf Coast Cardiology Group PET technologist Deena Varnado says, "The efficiency of the Scintron is great for our patients. It allows them to be scheduled on a timelier basis since we can now increase our daily patient volume. Our patients can also better tolerate the time they have to lay flat on the table due to the time being cut down to perform the scan."

The ECAT Scintron is the only upgrade path to the Siemens ECAT 47, ECAT HR+ and ECAT Accel PET systems. This upgrade eliminates the need for the ACSII along with the SUN workstation. Both units are replaced with new PC technology that will provide for faster scan times, improved reliability and longevity in the ECAT family of dedicated PET systems. Hardware and software configurations include whole body, gating and list-mode data acquisition.

T. Kuehl, MiE president and CEO, says, "The Scintron upgrade provides enhanced patient care, modern technologies and economic efficiency. This includes 3-D myocardial reconstruction with special scatter correction as well as the realignment of stress-rest miss-registration and list-mode protocols for simultaneous dynamic and gated studies to perform CFR analysis."

Expanding on its 2-D and 3-D imaging platform, the ECAT Scintron continues to develop its capabilities. NIS and MiE demonstrated its new acquisition protocols at the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) annual meeting in Chicago, Sept. 26-28.

MiE, based in Germany, is a manufacturer and remanufacturer of gamma camera and PET systems. The Scintron unit is always a part of a MiE system and can also be upgraded to any existing system. It takes on all processes of the scanner — data acquiring, processing and viewing, as well as gantry controlling, calibrating and servicing. 

For more information: www.mieamerica.com