Discovery VCT — The World’s First Volumetric PET/CT System

Presented at the ongoing annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago by GE Healthcare, the system is cardiology-geared dynamic volumetric technology, a marriage of true 64-slice combination positron emission tomography and volume computed tomography:

The Discovery VCT marries the high-speed, high-resolution capabilities of GE’s volumetric CT with the metabolic and physiologic capabilities of its industry leading PET system. By combining these scanning technologies, the Discovery VCT provides the tools to enable physicians to more accurately diagnose and identify heart disease and other conditions, including cancer and neurological disorders.
“We are entering a new era of less invasive cardiovascular imaging in which volumetric PET/CT imaging will play a major role in managing heart disease,” said Joe Hogan, president and CEO of GE Healthcare. “Combining the functional capabilities of PET with the speed and resolution of volume CT will revolutionize cardiovascular imaging and transform the diagnosis and treatment decisions of heart disease.”
Much like a gardener can visually assess areas of a lawn that are not getting sufficient water supply, using PET technology a physician can assess areas of the heart that are not getting sufficient blood supply, and, as a result, are not viable. To determine the root cause of a problem lawn, a gardener can look for blockages in the irrigation system; similarly, a physician can look for stenosis in the coronary arteries using the volumetric CT technology. The combination of these capabilities in a single system, the Discovery VCT, will provide the most comprehensive view of a patient’s heart.
“By combining GE’s PET and volumetric CT capabilities, the Discovery VCT will enable physicians to access essential functional and anatomical patient data, including perfusion map at rest and peak cardiac stress, CT angiography and cardiac calcium score, all in one setting,” said Dr. Marcelo Di Carli, director of Nuclear Medicine/PET and co-director of Cardiovascular Imaging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “The information made available through Discovery VCT images will help physicians quickly and accurately diagnose cardiovascular patients, eliminating unnecessary invasive diagnostic procedures while guiding more appropriate treatment decisions.”

The press release…
GE Healthcare CT products page (no Discovery VCT page, yet)…