Beebe Healthcare is offering one of the more advanced diagnostic tools available for cancer detection: the Discovery molecular imaging positron emission tomography–computed tomography imaging system from GE Healthcare.

Beebe Healthcare installed the new MI PET/CT scanner at the Beebe Health Campus- Rehoboth Beach on Route 24 in May.

This advanced nuclear imaging technique combines positron emission tomography and computed tomography into one machine. A PET/CT scan reveals information about the structure and function of cells and tissues in the body during a single imaging session.

During a PET/CT scan, the patient is injected with a glucose solution that contains a small amount of radioactive material. The substance is absorbed by the particular organs or tissues being examined. The patient rests on a table and slides into a large tunnel-shaped scanner. The PET/CT scanner is then able to detect damaged or cancerous cells where the glucose is being taken up — cancer cells often use more glucose than normal cells — and the rate at which the tumor is using the glucose — which can help determine the tumor grade.

In addition to providing comprehensive PET oncology analysis to monitor cancer treatments, Discovery MI can be used to address clinical challenges beyond oncology to include brain imaging and fluorodeoxyglucose bone scanning.

Specific advantages of the GE Healthcare’s Discovery MI PET/CT imaging system include better small lesion detectability, reduced time for the patient during the scan and a lower dose rate, up to 82 percent reduction in CT dose with ASiR-V at the same image quality and an extended table length that allows for the new scanner to perform the scan in one session.

For information on Beebe Healthcare’s Imaging Department, visit or call 645-3278.