| Tatsuo Izumida, Dr. Eng. | Advanced Medical Technology and Solutions Div., |
| Taro Momokawa | Advanced Medical Technology and Solutions Div., |
| Makio Uchida | Advanced Medical Technology and Solutions Div., |
| Akira Uemura | Advanced Medical Technology and Solutions Div., |
PET(positron emission tomography) imaging is an advanced and highly accurate diagnostic tool for detecting dementia of the Alzheimer's type, malignant tumors, and heart disease. Especially in the case of malignant tumors, PET is very effective at detecting minute cancers only several millimeters in diameter in a single whole body scan, and is expected to see extensive use not only for regular periodic physical exams but also for detecting the recurrence and metastasis of tumors. There has been a stepped-up interest on the part of hospitals and clinics to acquire PET imaging systems since April 2002 when the national health insurance coverage was extended to cover malignant tumors. Yet the decision to install a PET system is not made lightly, first because PET imaging facilities are costly and second because considerable technical expertise is required to operate the equipment. This situation led Hitachi to develop a comprehensive clinical PET screening support service that assists hospitals with financing to procure PET equipment, provides engineering support in areas of radiation and cyclotron technology based on years of experience in dealing with nuclear technologies, and operational and maintenance support once the system is up and running.
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The Hitachi Hyoron (Japanese Only) |
PET(positron emission tomography), clinical PET screening support service, accelerator, nuclear medicine, FDG(fluoro-deoxy-glucose)
