Nuclear medicine usage grows, led by PET.

Led by PET A n estimated 1,129,900 clinical PET studies were performed in the United States in 2005, according to a report released in August by IMV Medical Information Division, a market research and consulting firm in Des Plains, IL. These studies were performed in 1,725 hospital and nonhospital sites, using dedicated PET/CT or PET units, mobile units, or nuclear medicine cameras with coincidence detection. ‘‘PET/CT scanners have become the preferred technology for PET imaging, as the integration of functional PET images with anatomical visualization of CT has allowed more accurate and faster diagnosis,’’ said Lorna Young, senior director, Market Research at IMV. ‘‘While the proportion of PET/CT scanners (vs. PET scanners) installed to date is about 55%, over 90% of the units installed in 2005 were PET/CT scanners.’’ The study indicated that the PET imaging market is experiencing double-digit growth, with the number of patient studies increasing more than 60% since 2003, for an average annual growth rate of 26.5% over the 2-year period. The researchers noted, however, that because PET is still relatively new, many sites are only beginning to use the technology. Although 1,725 sites offer PET imaging, nearly 1,000 of these use mobile service providers, typically for 1 or 2 days per week. A total of 735 sites own 1 or more fixed PET or PET/CT scanners. The IMV report describes trends in PET and PET/CT patient studies by procedure type, apparatus type, manufacturer and year of installation, planned purchases, radiopharmaceutical utilization and expenditures by supplier, and site operations characteristics. Among the findings included in the report are: