The Medical City Installs New Technology to Boost Diagnostic Speed and Precision

Premier Philippine health institution The Medical City (TMC) has unveiled the country’s only Symbia T16 TruePoint SPECT-CT installation, a revolutionary diagnostic modality that provides a more precise, more reliable, and earlier diagnosis, thus significantly improving the patient’s chance of being cured.

The unveiling of Symbia T16 TruePoint SPECT-CT installation, the first in the country, was held on March 4, 2014 at the TMC Nuclear Medicine Department and was attended by TMC Senior Management headed by President and CEO Dr. Alfredo R.A. Bengzon, Nuclear Medicine doctors, TMC managers and staff, patient partners and other guests.

Symbia T16 TruePoint SPECT-CT was developed by Siemens, a pioneer in innovative imaging techniques and clinical applications, and is the most advanced and versatile option in the Symbia TruePoint SPECT-CT series. These imaging systems represent the true integration of state-of-the-art SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) and high quality multi-slice CT (Computed Tomography).

The Symbia T16 offers increased speed over the other Symbia systems. It can complete a full rotation in 0.5 seconds, yielding particular benefits for oncology screening when a large area must be covered in a short time. The system’s rapid scan time also makes it ideal for calcium scoring, providing detailed images of the coronary arteries in less than 20 seconds, irrespective of the heart beat.

“This gives a new dimension to Nuclear Medicine. It enables us to make diagnoses with pinpoint accuracy, anywhere in the body,” says Dr. Angel de Guzman, head of the TMC Nuclear Medicine Department.

TruePoint SPECT•CT is designed to determine the exact location, size, nature and extent of the disease by combining the functional sensitivity of SPECT with rich anatomical detail of 16 slice CT. Through the combination of these two technologies, nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists can view images in 3D, locating anomalies even before anatomical changes are visible. Physicians can then diagnose earlier and more accurately, plan treatment even more effectively and monitor treatment for better follow up. Unnecessary invasive surgery may also be avoided and risks of the necessary surgery may be reduced.

This also means true patient comfort. By providing both diagnostic CT and SPECT studies in a single visit, exam time is dramatically reduced, thus making it easier and more comfortable for patients.

The new technology can be used for rapid diagnosis and routine CT applications in oncology, cardiology and neurology.

SPECT-CT's precise lesion detection enables physicians to accurately assess the presence, extent, and tissue characterization of multiple malignancies such as breast and prostate cancer, primary bone, and neuroendocrine tumors.

SPECT-CT also has great potential for cardiac imaging, revealing conditions that are hard-to-detect which carry the highest risk for patients.
In Neurology, this technology offers new perspectives for acute stroke and bleeding diagnosis, and patient management. For dementia, movement disorders, and epilepsy, SPECT-CT offers more information than a standalone SPECT or CT scan.

For more information about TruePoint SPECT-CT, you may call TMC Nuclear Medicine Department at tel. no. 988-1000 or 988-7000 ext. 6130/6131.