It took a crane and the removal of an outer wall to lift the northern suburbs’ first-ever PET-CT scanner into place at Perth Radiological Clinic on the first floor of Joondalup’s Shenton House recently.
Not to be confused with a regular CT scanner, the PET-CT scanner combines a PET scan, which shows how a particular organ is functioning, with a CT scan, which shows a 3D image of the organ.
The two images taken together, rather than separately, give doctors a better idea of the patient’s condition.
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READ NOWThe scanner will be used in the diagnosis, treatment and management of many cancers, particularly lymphoma, melanoma and colorectal cancer.
Patients were previously required to travel to the city for access to such tech-|nology.
The major hoisting operation also involved lifting a new MRI machine into the building in preparation for the clinic’s imaging department opening at the end of this month.
A Perth Radiological Clinic spokeswoman said: ‘It will provide crucial support to the onsite cancer treatment centre which has been operational since March.’
She said a dedicated breast imaging suite would also be built that offered scans ideal for detecting breast cancer in women under 50.