PET/CT Scanner
Since late 2011, the National Accelerator Centre has a PET/CT for humans, which allows receiving patients at CNA facilities, particularly in the Diagnostic Imaging Center of CNA (CDI). It is Siemens Biograph mCT with 162 mm axial field of view PET detectors combined with a 64-slices CT.
It allows very flexible study preparation from (i) standard whole body PET and CT scans to (ii) dynamic PET scans with field of view longer than one detector ring down to 3 s per bed, (iii) dynamic CT scans of up to 67 mm field of view and down to 1 s resolution, (iv) respiratory gated PET or CT scans, (v) cardiac gated PET or CT scans and (vi) flexible list mode acquisition in PET.
Human scanner shares its control room with that of a small animal PET and CT scanner. It is installed a few meters away from the radiopharmacy laboratory, which allows studies with short half-life PET radioisotopes, as 11C based radiopharmaceuticals. There is an agreement with the Nuclear Medicine Service of the University Hospital Virgen del Rocio to use and support the research facility in CNA.
Presently, Hospital patients of research interest are scanned at CNA three days per week, and for the remaining two days the Service provides the qualified staff (Nuclear Medicine specialists, nursery and technicians staff) for the human studies proposed by non-Hospital scientific personnel. Moreover, the CT scanner is used for examination of art large objects.