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Dubai's first operational PET-CT medical imaging scanner has been unveiled at the American Hospital Dubai, following the licensing of the hospital to provide PET-CT scanner services to patients.

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 cancer before anatomical or structural changes are evident on conventional imaging like CT and MRI. "The PET-CT has revolutionized the medical imaging field," says Dr. Shah Numani, American Board Certified PET-CT specialist at the American Hospital Dubai. "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 early response of a cancer treatment, which ultimately guides therapeutic decisions. It is crucial to spare normal tissue and include the diseased area while determining the radiation field for cancer treatment. PET-CT has been playing increasingly important role in radiation therapy planning".

An x-ray, ultrasound, MRI or CT may not accurately characterize a lesion whether it is benign or malignant. PET-CT can often make this determination, many times avoiding unnecessary surgical biopsies.

The PET-CT scan is exceptionally sensitive in determining the full extent of the cancer and is more accurate than any other imaging modality, allowing physician and patient to decide the most appropriate treatment. One of the unfortunate phenomena in malignancy cases is the recurrence of the cancer. PET-CT can also differentiate between tumor recurrences and the changes caused by the patient's cancer treatment.

Dr. Numani explains that PET-CT indicates abnormal metabolic activity in the brain at a very early stage and helps diagnose Alzheimer's disease almost two years before obvious clinical signs and symptom are seen. In addition, PET-CT also plays a very vital role in determining if the heart muscles are viable (alive) after a heart attack.

Source: Frost & Sullivan

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