Brookings Health Brings PET/CT Imaging Technology to Community

  • November 08, 2018

Procedures to Help Diagnose and Assess Cancer, Alzheimer’s and Heart Attacks

Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist Jody Van Roekel of DMS Health Technologies performs a PET/CT scan on a patient inside the mobile imaging unit. Brookings Health is bringing PET/CT technology to the community to help patients receive critical diagnostic imaging tests. Physicians require PET/CT scans to diagnose and determine the extent of various cancers, neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and damage to cardiac muscle after a heart attack.
Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist Jody Van Roekel of DMS Health Technologies performs a PET/CT scan on a patient inside the mobile imaging unit. Brookings Health is bringing PET/CT technology to the community to help patients receive critical diagnostic imaging tests. Physicians require PET/CT scans to diagnose and determine the extent of various cancers, neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and damage to cardiac muscle after a heart attack.

Brookings Health System has expanded its outreach efforts to now include diagnostic imaging services. Starting Nov. 26, Brookings Health will host a Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) mobile imaging unit on its campus the second and fourth Monday of each month.

“We constantly look for opportunities to bring services closer to home for our community,” said CEO Jason Merkley. “By having our partner, DMS Health Technologies, bring their mobile PET/CT unit to our campus, area patients can conveniently receive critical diagnostic imaging tests here in Brookings.”

PET/CT scans combine nuclear medicine and x-ray imaging to provide comprehensive information about a person’s anatomy and metabolic function. The resulting images help physicians pinpoint the location of abnormal activity within the body.

“A PET/CT scan allows physicians to diagnose and determine the extent of various cancers, neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and damage to cardiac muscle after a heart attack,” said Diagnostic Imaging Director Tim Watson. “By merging two imaging procedures in one unit, PET/CT provides a more detailed picture than either test does alone, resulting in more accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatment plans for patients.”

PET/CT images can be shared with any medical provider from any health organization. Area patients may ask their physician to refer them for a PET/CT scan at Brookings Health by having their physician call Central Scheduling at (605) 696-8888.

PET/CT is just one of the medical imaging services offered at Brookings Health System. Local patients can also receive MRI, CT, ultrasound, nuclear medicine and x-ray procedures close to home, saving them time and travel expenses. For more information, please visit www.brookingshealth.org/Imaging.

About DMS Health Technologies
DMS Health Technologies, a Digirad company, specializes in delivering products and services to the healthcare industry. DMS Health Technologies provides a variety of medical accessories, mobile, interim and fixed-site diagnostic imaging solutions and equipment service across the United States and Canada. For more information about DMS Health Technologies, visit www.DMSHealth.com.

About Brookings Health System
Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, surgical and extended care services. The emergency room is staffed 24 hours a day and provides around the clock patient needs ranging from minor injuries to life threatening crises. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.