Pertamina offers nuclear technology

JAKARTA: The Central Pertamina Hospital in South Jakarta has installed a state-of-the-art nuclear imaging system called SKYLight to provide blood flow information, detect heart disease and diagnose tumors.

The system, developed by Philips Medical Systems, uses Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) technology to produce images that show the molecular progress of a disease as opposed to Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines, which use an anatomical approach.

Unlike other SPECT scanners, SKYLight does not require the transfer of a patient from a wheelchair or bed to a gantry during testing. The equipment, which has two movable scanners, allows the patient to be scanned in virtually any condition and any position: sitting, standing, or reclining.

The head of Pertamina Hospital's nuclear medicine department, Dr. Soebowo Soemewo, said the device, which uses a dual-headed gamma camera, makes scanning "faster, more accurate, more flexible, and more comfortable for the patients." -- JP/002