On Jan. 13, 2006, the University of Washington (UW) Medical Center became the first hospital in the country to install a new-generation PET/CT imaging system designed to help physicians detect, diagnose and monitor treatment of cancer and other diseases, including heart disease and neurological disease, more accurately and earlier in the disease process.

PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and CT (Computed Tomography) scans are both standard imaging tools that physicians use to pinpoint disease states in the body. A PET scan demonstrates the biological function of the body before anatomical changes take place, while the CT scan provides information about the body’s anatomy such as size, shape and location.

The new generation PET/CT is a fusion of the high-speed, high-resolution capabilities of a CT scanner with the metabolic and physiologic capabilities of a PET scanner, said Dr. Paul Kinahan, associate professor of radiology and director of PET/CT physics for UW Medical Center.