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State-of-the-art Nuclear Medicine Camera Installed at PVH
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 Over the last few months, the Imaging Department at Penobscot Valley Hospital has been extremely busy renovating rooms and installing new equipment. In October 2011, a new x-ray machine was installed; this month a new nuclear medicine camera was put in place; and next month, a new digital mammography machine will make its home at PVH.
“The Imaging Department has made some major upgrades within the last year,” explains Heather Hines, PVH Director of Imaging & Radiology. “We have moved a majority of our services from analog to digital, which allows for faster results for our patients and improved image retrieval for staff to compare and diagnose.”
The latest equipment upgrade at PVH was completed in the Nuclear Medicine room. “The old machine was actually built into the floor, so it took some skill and time to remove that nuclear med machine,” says Dave Shannon, PVH CEO. “The service was down for about a week while we installed new flooring and the equipment. We appreciate the flexibility of our patients during this time.”
Nuclear medicine uses radioactive substances to take images of different parts of the body. Many scans at PVH involve cardiac scans to look for blockages in coronary arteries and lung scans to assess blockage of pulmonary arteries. They also perform bone scans to look for infection or disease and hepatobiliary scans to assess gallbladder function. The images taken during a nuclear medicine test allow the physician to review the 'function' of specific body parts, leaving the 'anatomy' to other modalities (CT, MRI, ultrasound, x-ray).
One of the greatest improvements of the new nuclear medicine camera at PVH includes better accessibility for patients, as the examining bed allows for better entry and exit. The electronic images also allow for faster scanning and timely processing of the images.
Richard (Dick) Nangle is employed by Navix Diagnostix and performs nuclear medicine diagnostics at PVH. He states, “We are happy to have equipment that is easier on patients and staff, while still providing state-of-the art images. The new machine allows us to export images more efficiently with a faster turnaround time for our patients.”
Dick normally sees patients on Mondays and Tuesdays at PVH and requires a physician referral to obtain the nuclear medicine services. For more information about Imaging Services available at PVH, click here.
Photo caption: Dick Nangle, Nuclear Medicine Technologist prepares to take images with the nuclear medicine camera. This new, state-of-the-art piece of equipment was recently installed at Penobscot Valley Hospital.
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