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The imaging team at Sutter Regional Medical Foundation, which is affiliated with Solano Regional Medical Group, recently acquired the BrightView nuclear imaging system from Philips Medical Systems.

"The imaging team at Sutter Regional Medical Foundation (SRMF), which is affiliated with Solano Regional Medical Group (SRMG), recently acquired the BrightView nuclear imaging system -- or gamma camera -- from Philips Medical Systems.

This is Solano County's first non-hospital-based nuclear imaging facility, according to Keith Tao, M.D., director of radiology at Sutter Fairfield Diagnostic Imaging Center, a SRMF-affiliated center.

With the BrightView system, SRMF can perform non-invasive, highly advanced diagnostic scans that can lead to potentially life-saving treatment options or rule out serious medical conditions.

More than half of the people to use the nuclear diagnostic scanner are cardiac patients at risk of heart attack and stroke. Cardiologists will be able to further study blood circulation to the heart with the scanner. "What we are looking for are indicators of stress-induced lack of blood supply to heart muscle," says Dr. Tao. "Nuclear imaging is an important diagnostic technology that identifies very specific disease states not seen with other diagnostic modalities."

Sutter Fairfield Diagnostic Imaging Center will also utilize the scanner to examine gallbladder, kidney, liver and spleen functions, and to detect the spread of cancer to the bones. These bone scans can also see fractures much earlier than conventional X-ray scans.

Unlike some imaging tests, nuclear imaging allows clinicians to see how a part of the body is functioning at the metabolic level, providing more definitive screening and treatment staging for diseases like cancer. This improved diagnostic confidence may alter the course of action and have a positive impact on patient outcomes. For instance, a patient may be able to avoid a biopsy or an invasive surgical procedure.

"The new gamma camera system has the potential to broaden our applications for nuclear medicine imaging, including the ability to use the latest procedures, such as concurrent imaging," says Dr. Tao. "This means we can provide a higher level of diagnostic confidence and more effective, efficient care for our patients."