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For Plainville Cancer Patients, New PET-CT Scanner Reduces Radiation

December 05, 2019

The Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute at The Hospital of Central Connecticut in Plainville is now using a General Electric  Healthcare Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (PET-CT) scanner that provides superior image quality while reducing patient scan times, radiotracers, as well as radiation needed.

The GE Discovery PET-CT 710 is the highest-sensitivity scanner in its class of PET/CT scanners, offering improved anatomical detail in early and small lesion detection.

“This new scanner significantly improves our ability to identify cancerous nodules,” said Gary Havican, president of The Hospital of Central Connecticut. “Its advanced technology allow us to treat our patients earlier, more efficiently, and with a degree of comfort and confidence that hasn’t been seen before. Bringing this level of excellence and access to the community will help our patients live their healthiest lives.”

The new scanner decreases the time spent in the scanner by up to 30 percent, reducing radiation exposure by up to 50 percent, and alleviating patient anxiety.

“Up to 30 percent may not sound like a lot,” says Dr. Joel Gelber, chief of radiology at The Hospital of Central Connecticut. “But when you’re in the machine for 40 to 50 minutes and now all of a sudden you’re in there for 30 minutes, it’s a lot different. That 30-minute mark to me is where patients start getting anxious.”

Also, less radiotracer chemical dosing needed to perform the scan further minimizes a patient’s exposure to radiation.

To learn more about imaging services at the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute at The Hospital of Central Connecticut, click here.