Emerging Advances with PET/CT Imaging in Pediatric Radiology

When Andrew Trout, M.D. first started utilizing the Discovery MI Gen 2 (GE Healthcare) digital positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) system in late 2020, he noticed improvements in sensitivity and efficiency right away.

Recent upgrades of the Discovery MI Gen 2 to a six-ring scanner and an expanded z-axis field of view (FOV) to 30 cm have resulted in a more than fourfold increase in sensitivity and significantly accelerated scan times in comparison to conventional PET/CT systems used in the past, according to Dr. Trout, the director of Clinical Research, Nuclear Medicine and Body CT in the Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

“The sensitivity and the Z-axis field of view make this a great pediatric scanner,” noted Dr. Trout in a recent video interview. “What that allows us to do is to either scan with a lower dose or scan faster. … The advantage of being able to go faster is it shortens the amount of time a child is under anesthesia if you have to anesthetize the child, or it increases the potential to scan patients without anesthesia.”

Dr. Trout noticed a one-third reduction in bed position time down to 90 seconds with initial use of the Discovery MI Gen 2 system. He said preliminary anecdotal research with the upgraded system suggests the potential for 40 seconds per FOV.

In one ongoing clinical trial assessing a PET radiopharmaceutical, Dr. Trout noted he and his colleagues are following the established scan acquisition parameters of the study. However, he said the potential of the Discovery MI Gen 2 could significantly reduce the dosing in comparison to other PET/CT devices.

“We could be scanning patients at one-quarter of the dose, or a quarter of the time needed for other scanners being utilized in the study,” added Dr. Trout.

For more insights from Dr. Trout, watch the video below.