Jan Hegman, oncology care coordinator, and Dr. Joselito Burgos, internal medicine physician
Cancer patients, and those with other diseases too, can now benefit from a powerful diagnostic tool now available at Riverwood Healthcare Center.
Recently, Riverwood’s radiology department began using Shared Medical Services’ PET-CT scan imaging system. This hybrid technology combines the strengths of two well-established technologies in one imaging session to more accurately diagnose and locate cancers.
I’m thrilled that Riverwood is now able to offer PET-CT scans, which allows our cancer patients to stay closer to home for their care,” said Dr. Joselito Burgos, internist and chief of medical staff at Riverwood. “Along with providing better imaging data to help guide treatment, the new machine notably increases patient comfort and convenience by reducing the number of scanning sessions a patient must undergo.”
PET, or positron emission tomography, uses radioactive glucose to image the body’s metabolism at the cellular level, mapping the chemical functioning of organs or tissue. Since cancer cells use more glucose than other cells in the body, PET can reveal the presence of cancerous tumors and provide key information for diagnosis and treatment of disease. PET is also used to diagnose heart disease and brain disorders, like epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The PET-CT procedure is painless and usually takes about 30 minutes. The procedure is covered by private insurance and Medicare. For additional information or to schedule a patient, call Riverwood’s Radiology department at (218) 927-5515.