NEW CASTLE Jameson Health now performing PET scans

NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Jameson Health System is now offering a new, highly accurate cancer detection system.
The hospital acquired a Positron Emission Tomography system, an imaging procedure that provides physicians with information about the body's chemistry, cell function and exact location of disease. The precise images obtained with PET are different from images obtained from other sources such as X-rays, officials said. The difference lies in the ability of the machine to study body function rather than giving radiological images of anatomy or body structure.
For oncology patients, PET is used to determine the exact location and stage of cancerous tissue and can provide physicians with data necessary to improve treatment regimes. The data can also help avoid invasive surgeries or unnecessary procedures in some cases.
An average PET scan takes about one hour and the preparation may take another hour.
Hospital spokesmen said PET imaging will be available every other Friday, with appointments beginning at 8 a.m. A physicians order is needed to use the system.