Rhode Island Hospital has acquired a new high-tech imaging device: an ultra-fast nuclear cardiac gamma camera from GE Healthcare, the Discovery 530c SPECT system, which reduces imaging time by 50 to 75 percent compared with older cameras.
This is the first such camera in Rhode Island and one of the first in New England. Dr. James A. Arrighi, director of nuclear cardiology at the hospital and a member of the Rhode Island Cardiology Center, explained how the device works and how it may benefit patients.
PBN: What is a nuclear cardiac gamma camera, and how does it work?
ARRIGHI: A nuclear cardiac gamma camera creates images of the heart in order to assess certain physiologic properties, such as blood flow to the heart muscle. The camera detects small amounts of radioactivity that are administered to a patient, and the images obtained are analyzed with specialized software. The camera and its table are compact, and can fit in a small room.
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PBN: What kinds of patients do you use this camera for?
ARRIGHI: The main use for this camera is to perform a test called “stress myocardial perfusion imaging.” Patients may need this test to determine whether symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath are due to heart disease, or to assess the prognosis of patients with known heart disease. Myocardial perfusion imaging refers to a test in which we measure the blood flow to the heart. In order to provide a comprehensive assessment of heart disease, perfusion is measured both at rest and during stress testing. Stress testing may be performed with an exercise treadmill machine, or with drugs that simulate stress.
PBN: What does this new device replace, and how big an improvement is this?
ARRIGHI: The time needed to perform the study depends in part on the dose of radioactive tracer that is administered to the patient. Typical imaging times for standard cameras are 15 to 20 minutes. With the new camera, for patients who have difficulty tolerating long procedures, imaging times can be reduced to only 3 to 5 minutes. In patients in whom reduction of radiation exposure is the priority, such as younger patients, the dose of the radioactive tracer is reduced and imaging times are in the 5- to 10-minute range.
PBN: What are the implications in terms of exposure to radiation, and how big a deal is that?
ARRIGHI: The radiation exposure from any single nuclear medicine or radiology study is very small, and any risks that may be associated with such tests are outweighed by the medical benefit of the information obtained from them if the tests are utilized properly. However, for any test, we always strive to use the least dose of radiation possible since, if a patient needs many tests over a lifetime, exposure to radiation may increase risk of certain cancers over a long period of time. This may be particularly important in younger patients, and relatively less important in older patients. This new camera allows us to reduce radiation exposure in the patients in whom this is most important, while maintaining image quality.
PBN: What was the business case for this machine?
ARRIGHI: First, this camera reduces imaging time, which improves patient comfort and may save him or her some of their valuable time. Second, in certain patients, exposure to radiation may be reduced. Thus, it is anticipated that the new camera technology may draw new patients into our facility. Additionally, since the imaging times on this camera are so short, this single camera operates more efficiently than older cameras, and may do the work of two older cameras. This may reduce overhead costs considerably.
