Portable PET/CT scanner guides bedside IR procedures

Experts have developed a point-of-care PET scanner they say can be used at the bedside to improve visualization during interventional procedures. 

Though these treatments are typically done with assistance from real-time fluoroscopy, there is ample evidence PET/CT imaging may offer more benefits. This is cost-prohibitive, however, so most organizations do not offer portable PET imaging. This led experts to develop the new “POC-PET” system to meet these needs. 

"A portable PET device with real-time imaging capability could bring vast information and benefits from molecular imaging to interventional radiology procedures," Yuan-Chuan Tai, PhD, senior author, with Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, said in a news release from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. "To address this unmet need, we developed a portable point-of-care PET system with a robotic arm that can position detector panels at arbitrary locations to image any organ of interest." 

The system offers real-time visual feedback and image updating strategies. It can be used to assist in numerous IR procedures, including biopsies and tumor ablations.  

Researchers recently tested its utility using a phantom containing three clusters of radiotracer-filled rods. Images were acquired from six different positions, with reconstruction beginning after obtaining data from the first. Following the initial scan, additional alternating single-iteration updates occurred during each subsequent position, giving providers the information needed to determine whether adjustments are necessary.  

When the resultant bedside images from the real-time updating framework were analyzed alongside those derived from a conventional reconstruction framework, the team observed comparable quality. The phantom’s structures were clearly visualized from all positions, and the team suggested their quality could be further improved with additional scanning positions and reconstruction iterations. 

"This proposed approach better supports interactive and adaptive imaging workflows at the bedside," noted Xiyan Li, a graduate researcher in the imaging science doctoral program at Washington University. "It represents a paradigm shift that offers new avenues to deploy novel molecular imaging applications." 

The team is now working to prepare the prototype for human imaging. They expect to begin this portion of their research in 2027. 

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