First installations of Siemens Biograph mCT kick off a new era in integrated imaging

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Siemens Healthcare Molecular Imaging announces the much anticipated first US installations of Siemens Biograph mCT at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Ill., and at the Spectrum Health Lemmon-Holton Cancer Pavilion in Grand Rapids, Mich. Siemens Healthcare continues to lead the molecular imaging industry by providing solutions that are both progressive and innovative, meeting the specific needs of every customer. Siemens (booth #1024) will highlight the Biograph mCT at the 2009 SNM Annual Meeting in Toronto this week.

“We are very excited to begin installations for Biograph mCT,” said Michael Reitermann, chief executive officer, Molecular Imaging, Siemens Healthcare. “We have experienced a great market reception and are readying shipments for many more locations worldwide as we speak.”

The Biograph mCT, the world’s first molecular CT, enables healthcare facilities to serve both the nuclear medicine and radiology departments with one system. It achieves this duality through the integration of powerful PET and CT technologies, offering a compact system with High-Definition PET, time-of-flight technology and CT configurations up to 128-slices.

Siemens Healthcare highlights the first installations of this game-changing technology, where Biograph mCT is utilized both as a dedicated CT and PET/CT imaging system, as well as sophisticated diagnostic tool for oncology management.

Memorial Medical

Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Ill is the site of the first commercial installation of the Biograph mCT with 128-slice CT configuration, the most powerful available PET and CT components available. As part of an overall goal to provide highest quality imaging services to its patients, Biograph mCT is expected to help Memorial Medical deliver on its mission to be a national leader for excellence in patient care.

“The 128-slice Biograph mCT is in line with our vision as an organization because it dramatically improves scanning times and will lead to increased patient satisfaction,” said Marjorie Calvetti, MSW, RT(R), Director of Radiology at Memorial Medical Center. “We have been a one-stop shop for people coming in for PET scans who also need a diagnostic CT,” Calvetti said. “We see our patients are satisfied as a result of our being able to deliver both services at one time.”

Spectrum Health

Spectrum Health received the very first commercial Biograph mCT 64-slice scanner, installed in its new Lemmon-Holton Cancer Pavilion. With the addition of the Biograph mCT to its arsenal of tools to fight cancer, Spectrum Health has set the bar even higher for quality cancer care.  The new system will be housed in the Lemmon-Holton Cancer Pavilion, a site uniquely designed to deliver a new generation of cancer care, and to expedite cancer treatment in a compassionate, healing atmosphere.

“In the fight against cancer, time is one of the biggest factors. We are always seeking ways to diagnose earlier, stage more effectively, treat more accurately and most importantly, know if the treatment is working, earlier. That’s why Spectrum is always searching for the latest technologies to aid in this very important battle against time and disease,” says Paul Shreve, MD, Medical Director of PET-CT. “Starting today, we can now offer our patients and the physician community the latest advancement in imaging technology that we believe will enable us to improve cancer management and patient care”.

Future installations of the Biograph mCT are scheduled for healthcare institutions in Monaco, France; Columbus, Ohio; and Warsaw, Poland. The Biograph mCT is making inroads into cooperation between molecular imaging and radiology, where working together can positively affect outcomes.

The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world’s largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is a renowned medical solutions provider with core competence and innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as well as in knowledge engineering, including information technology and system integration. With its laboratory diagnostics acquisitions, Siemens Healthcare is the first integrated healthcare company, bringing together imaging and lab diagnostics, therapy, and healthcare information technology solutions, supplemented by consulting and support services. Siemens Healthcare delivers solutions across the entire continuum of care – from prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and care. Additionally, Siemens Healthcare is the global market leader in innovative hearing instruments. The company employs around 49,000 people worldwide and operates in 130 countries. In the fiscal year 2008 (Sept. 30), Siemens Healthcare reported sales of €11.2 billion, orders of €11.8 billion, and Sector profit of €1.2 billion. Further information can be found by visiting http://www.siemens.com/healthcare .