GE DISCOVERY ST Installed at Mobile Molecular Imaging

New System Optimized for Oncology Imaging and a Faster Way to “See and Treat”

Mobile, AL (July 14, 2005)—Mobile Molecular Imaging now offers the Discovery ST, a redesigned PET/CT system completely optimized for cancer care. This system integrates a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner with a multi-slice Computed Tomography (CT) scanner and is capable of 2D and 3D imaging with a larger bore for all patient studies or sizes. This Discovery ST system provides physicians with more sensitivity, speed, resolution, and diagnostic confidence when treating cancer patients.

The “ST” in Discovery ST stands for “See and Treat,” which is what this new system allows physicians to do. Built from the ground up with Six Sigma methodology, the Discovery ST assists our physicians in seeing the disease and planning radiation therapy treatment. The new Discovery ST system will shorten scan times as well as provide improved image quality in both 2D and 3D modes.

“Less time on the table means faster results and greater patient comfort,” said radiologist Allen Oaks, MD. “With the Discovery ST, we will all encounter better image quality and greater confidence in image interpretation. The new Discovery ST allows you to not only ‘see’ the disease, but to begin to ‘treat’ it.”

More then 6 million people in the world will die from cancer this year according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, one in three will be diagnosed with cancer in his or her lifetime.

“The Discovery ST is another example of Mobile Molecular Imaging’s commitment to innovation and technology for early disease detection supporting physicians in improved diagnosis and treatment” said Dr. Oaks. “With its larger bore size (70 cm) and shorter tunnel length (100 cm), physicians have more flexibility in positioning larger patients and for better radiation therapy planning, and helps claustrophobic patients,” said Dr. Oaks.

GE’s Discovery ST combines the fastest and most sophisticated computed tomography (CT) technology with the most advanced Positron Emission Tomography (PET) technology—all in a single exam. PET creates images of high metabolic activity in the body, rather than creating images of anatomy only. CT scans allow our doctors to see the internal structures within the human body. Together, a PET/CT scan allows our physicians to view metabolic activity and pinpoint where abnormal lesions are located so that they may target the disease.

Before having a PET/CT scan, the patient receives a dose of radiopharmaceutical tracer containing substances that mimic those normally used in the body including water, sugars, proteins and oxygen. These tracers accumulate in diseased cells. During the scan, the tracers are detected by the system creating an image of the patient and highlighting an abnormal physiology. This image helps our physicians determine if disease is present, the location and extent of disease, and track how rapidly it is spreading.

The GE Discovery ST is manufactured by GE Medical Systems of Waukesha, Wisconsin. GE Medical Systems is a global leader in medical information and technology.

Mobile Molecular Imaging is located on the campus of Springhill Medical Center in the Gerald L. Wallace Auditorium building. Any physician can refer to the center, and most insurance carriers cover these types of scans. Call 251.316.3868 for more information.