MODESTO RADIOLOGY IMAGING PHASE 1 OPEN

Advances in Neuro Imaging:

Clinical Diffusion Imaging of the Brain
Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) techniques have had a formidable effect on clinical neuro imaging, impacting the evaluation of cerebral ischemia, as well as the characterization and differentiation of non-specific focal brain lesions. DWI facilitates early detection of ischemia and reduces the cost of morbidity of diagnosis of a number of diseased states.

Infraction
The primary utility of DWI is the detection of brain infraction. DWI techniques are more sensitive than conventional MR imaging techniques and are extraordinarily sensitive in detecting clinically evident ischemia, even when imaging is obtained immediately after the onset of ischemia symptomatology. Diffusion weighted techniques are also sensitive to the presence of silent ischemia in patients presenting clinically with transient ischemia attacks (TIA).
In clinical practice, the impact of DWI is felt in acute and subacute stroke. While DWI techniques will be sensitive in detecting a hyperacute stroke, more often, in the clinical setting, patients will present for MRI somewhat later (18-36 hours) after the onset of ischemic symptoms.

Diffusion weighted imaging allows differentiation of:

• Tumor vs. Infraction
• Arachniod cyst vs. Dermoid cyst
• Tumor vs. Abscess
• Multiple Sclerosis: Able to differentiatate active demyelinating disease from chronic inactive lesions without the need for IV contrast infusion

This new, powerful MRI technique takes only 60 seconds to perform and will be included in every MRI brain examination at no additional cost.

What is PET Imaging?
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a nuclear imaging procedure based upon the principals of molecular biology and biochemical processes. As the tissues of the body become affected by disease, the tissue’s biochemical processes are altered and PET can detect and evaluate these changes. PET can assess disease changes in tissue before they become anatomical changes. By injecting a radioactive sugar, F-18-deoxy-glucose (FDG), the metabolism of the patient’s body tissues are visualized by the PET scanner. The FDG is taken into the tissue cells as fuel. Since many tumor types are hypermetabolic (overactive), the FDG is taken into these disease cell types in much higher amounts relative to the normal surrounding tissue. This focally increased uptake in these cell types produce “hot spots” on the images. Dedicated PET machines are capable of visualizing elusively small areas of cancerous tissue.

Why does PET give clinical oncology an advantage?
Simply said, earliest possible detection. It is well known that cancer is one of the leading causes if death worldwide. Diagnosing and pinpointing the origin of cancer has been a challenge of healthcare providers until now. Detection and diagnosing cancer at its earliest stage, even before the disease has caused anatomical change detectable by CT or MRI, affords the clinicians the best chance for successful treatment. By using state-of-the-art dedicated PET to evaluate the biochemical process of the body, detection of tumor pathologies can be found before they create physical changes. Scar tissue, necrosis and tumor mass usually appear identical on CT and MRI; however, they appear markedly different on PET because tumor mass is glucose active while scar tissue and necrosis are not.

What are the current applications of PET?

• Monitoring Recurrent Cancer-Lung, Colorectal, Brain, Ovarian, Head & Neck, Elevated Tumor Markers, Breast Cancer
• Primary Diagnosis-Solitary Pulmonary Nodule, Metastasis on Biopsy with Unknown Primary Site
• Staging or Primary or Metastasis Cancer-Gastrointestinal, Pancreatic, Liver, Malignant Melanoma, NSCLC Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer

What are the benefits of utilizing PET imaging?
PET imaging can eliminate unnecessary procedure by accurately discriminating between malignant and benign nodules. The cost and discomfort to the patient of unnecessary tissue sampling procedures and benign nodule removal are eliminated. Therapy types can be evaluated and monitored for success allowing the physician to alter non-responsive therapy. While PET can evaluate a primary site, it assesses the whole body for diseased cancerous tissue in one procedure. These all-inclusive images give the physician the benefit of the earliest detection of the entire body’s organ system, even before an atomic change has developed. While early detection increases the rate of successful treatment, finding previously unknown metastases with this technique is equally important, PET is unique in its ability to stage the progression or regression of cancer preventing recurrence or damage to healthy tissue by unnecessary treatment or surgery. PET ultimately provides the physician with the window seat view into the human body they have long awaited.