NMC-S now offering SPECT/CT services, Y90 treatment in imaging department
3/4/2022
SPRINGDALE (March 4, 2022) – Northwest Medical Center – Springdale (NMC-S) is the first to offer SPECT/CT services, including Y90 treatment for cancer patients, in Northwest Arkansas. This new diagnostic imaging technology provides high-quality images giving physicians a more complete picture of their patient’s condition.
The single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) exam shows functional information and anatomical structures together. The two different types of images are taken during one exam, and the pictures are merged together to provide more precise information about how the body is functioning and to identify problems.
“We’re excited to offer this new technology to our hospital’s list of services,” said NMC-S Chief Executive Officer Jose Echavarria. “By adding the SPECT/CT, physicians now have access to a tool that can help them better diagnose health issues in their patients, and it’s already been making a difference.”
“Basically, it’s two types of scans in one,” said Tyler Brown, B.S., CNMT, ARRT(N), NMC-S imaging and nuclear medicine manager. “It offers the sensitivity of nuclear medicine with the specificity of a CT scan giving us a new level of precision showing layers of the anatomy in more detail.”
Brown noted the difference in nuclear stress tests citing the accuracy of the data and images that SPECT/CT can offer. The new technology also gives physicians more data to work with allowing them to catch health issues that pictures couldn’t capture.
“It’s brought a whole new level of precision and accuracy to what we do,” Brown said. “We’re seeing things on the images we haven’t seen before.”
Why is it used?
A SPECT/CT exam is usually ordered to diagnose or find out more about a specific disease state in the body. The SPECT portion of the exam reveals how organs, tissues or bones are functioning at the cellular level, and the CT portion of the exam provides information such as size, shape and location.
“The SPECT/CT is good with pediatric patients because it allows you to give a reduced dose of radiation but still get the same image quality,” Brown said.
Some common conditions a physician might order a SPECT/CT exam for include:
- Bone imaging
- Cardiology
- Ear, nose and throat
- Infectious diseases
- Prostate cancer
- Stress test
Once an exam is complete, a radiologist will review test results and send a report to the patient’s physician.
Y90 treatment for cancer patients
Also known as radioembolization, Y90 is a minimally-invasive procedure used to treat chemotherapy-resistant liver cancer that cannot be surgically removed.
By utilizing radiation to target the tumors without affecting normal tissue, this outpatient procedure may be used with traditional cancer treatments including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and surgery.
While not a cure, it has been shown to:
- Slow tumor growth
- Alleviate symptoms
- Help extend the lives of patients with inoperable tumors
- Help improve a patient’s quality of life
To learn more about the SPECT/CT, speak with your physician to find out if it is right for you.
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