Over the years it has been very interesting to watch the evolution of hybrid PET/CT scanners become the gold standard in PET imaging. When I first started in this business almost ten years ago I worked for a mobile PET company whose entire fleet was PET only. This unfortunately was the company’s downfall, as any new customer required PET/CT. At the time we tried to patch the outdated fleet with a software solution and some early image registration tools. Unfortunately, the industry seemed to reject software as a substitute for hybrid imaging.
Today with PET/MR on the forefront, it will be very interesting to see if software will get a second look as a substitute to an investment into a full PET/MR scanner. There is no doubt MR can bring so much to the table in the world of PET imaging and top institutions will want to make the investment. Given these difficult economic times though, the majority of institutions will be unable to afford the investment. Could high powered computer algorithms and slick display protocols be the answer this time around? Only time will tell how much this will catch on. Personally, I think there are so many good arguments for software solutions in this arena this time around. Let the new PET/MR hybrids blaze the trail for ultimately giving the best information with certain types of cancers, neuro imaging and cardiovascular imaging, but when applicable, let software provide a solution, especially if it is the only solution.
About the Author
Greg Janik is the Senior Product Specialist at Mirada Medical Ltd.
About Mirada Medical
Mirada Medical is an internationally recognised brand in advanced medical imaging. The company develops high value clinical software applications, which are used across diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, tumour board and elsewhere.
The opinions expressed in this blog represent the views of the author and not necessarily those of Mirada Medical Limited.
