08/01/2024

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital 2nd in Nation to Employ State-of-the-Art PET/CT Scanner

Technology will allow for advanced scans, double the hospital’s capacity

DOVER, NH – Wentworth-Douglass Hospital held a ribbon cutting ceremony last week, to celebrate the addition of a state-of-the-art positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) scanner.

The hospital is just the second institution in the United States to incorporate this high-end scanner into clinical care. The addition is expected to double the hospital’s daily scan capacity. 

“The investment in this type of technology reflects Mass General Brigham’s commitment to not only increasing access to care on the Seacoast, but to ensuring that care is of the highest quality,” said Kevin Sweeney, director of imaging services at Wentworth-Douglass. “This scanner will allow us to care for more patients, more quickly, with some of the best technology available.”

The new unit will allow Wentworth-Douglass to offer cardiac PET/CT imaging, which is becoming the preferred diagnostic tool to determine if a patient has diminished blood supply (ischemia). It also will increase the hospital’s clinical capabilities in oncology and neurology.

The availability of this new technology means shorter wait times for patients, enhanced comfort through features such as personalized mood lighting, and the convenience of receiving these critical scans – which are interpreted by a specially-trained nuclear radiologist – to home. 

The new system also features improved image quality generated with a lower radiation dose, artificial intelligence-powered workflows for greater operational efficiency, and increased energy efficiency when compared to traditional scanners.

The new scanner will be available for patient use later this summer.