Highland District Hospital has introduced a state-of-the-art PET-CT detection and diagnostic service to patients and physicians in conjunction with Shared Medical Services of Cottage Grove, Wisc.

The PET-CT offers 3D imaging versus 2D imaging that was available prior.

“The PET-CT scanner is used to help diagnose cancer and other diseases, and is a one-two punch of technology that provides great sensitivity in detecting and locating abnormalities in tissue throughout the body, offering better visualization of lesions, faster scan times, lower dose radiation, and overall better image quality,” the hospital said in news release.

PET, or positron emission tomography, uses radioactive glucose to image the body’s metabolism at the cellular level, mapping the chemical functioning of organs or tissue. Since cancer cells use more glucose than other cells in the body, PET can reveal the presence of cancerous tumors and provide key information about whether cancer has spread, a key component of cancer treatment.

PET also is used to diagnose heart disease and brain disorders like epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. CT, or computed tomography, is used to image a patient’s anatomy and can reveal abnormalities. Used together in one machine, PET-CT combines PET’s early detection of disease with the precise internal organ visualization of CT. The PET-CT procedure is painless and non-invasive and usually takes about half an hour.

For more information, visit HDH.org, or if you have been referred by your physician for further testing, call 937-393-6392 to schedule an appointment.

Submitted by Ashlee D. Cheesbro, marketing manager, Highland District Hospital.