Wake Forest Baptist Health–Lexington Medical Center (LMC) recently announced that it is now offering Positron Emission Tomography – Computed Tomography PET/CT services.
Positron emission tomography (PET) uses small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers or radiopharmaceuticals, a special camera and a computer to evaluate organ and tissue functions. By identifying changes at the cellular level, PET may detect the early onset of disease before other imaging tests can. The PET/CT unit saw its first patients for scans in Lexington on Wednesday, September 2 and will continue to be available on a bi-weekly basis.
“With the growth of our Cancer Center and our continued commitment to our patients, we are extremely excited to offer the convenience of PET scans right here at Lexington Medical Center, said Bill James, President of LMC. “Our experienced Wake Forest Baptist Health radiologists, specially trained to read PET Scans will interpret these scans. Patients no longer need to travel outside of Lexington to have a PET scan. And they can be confident that the exam they are receiving is of the highest quality.”
John Brown, BS, RT, Manager of Radiology, added, “The ability to offer PET scans in our community is such a wonderful addition to our services, particularly for our oncology patients. It offers state of the art technology right at our fingertips. This will provide increased convenience and added value for our patients and most importantly, keep them close to home where they are most comfortable.”
With the advanced technology of the Siemens PET/CT scanner, patients and providers can expect:
- Lower radiation exposure
- Observe every organ in the finest detail
- Reduced scan times
- Increased patient comfort with a larger, open 78 cm bore
- Exceptional image quality for more advanced lesion detection
Mobile PET/CT services are provided by an agreement between Wake Forest Baptist Health and Alliance Healthcare and will also be available at Wake Forest Baptist Health Wilkes Medical Center in North Wilkesboro, NC.
Patients should ask their physicians to be referred to the Lexington Medical Center location if a PET scan is needed.
Media Contact: Natalie Borders, Manager, Marketing, 336-716-5769.