Initial images are now available from the world’s first full-body medical scanner, which is 40 times faster than current positron emission tomography (PET) devices and can capture a 3D picture of the entire human body in 20 to 30 seconds.

The Explorer system, engineered by researchers from University of California Davis and Shanghai-based The Explorer full-body scanner promises faster and more detailed medical imaging. Source: University of California DavisUnited Imaging Healthcare, combines PET and X-ray computed tomography (CT) technologies to image the entire body at the same time. Explorer can produce an image that can be generated in as little as one second and, over time, produce movies that track the movement of tagged drugs and radiotracers.

The scanner yields detailed images using radiation doses up to 40 times lower than a current PET scan. Greater sensitivity also allows clinicians to image certain molecular targets that are beyond the limits of current scanning systems, which are relatively slow and inefficient due to the necessity of having to scan single sections of the body at one time. The new device could quantitatively measure blood flow or how the body takes up glucose everywhere in the body.

The research will be presented at the upcoming Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting during November 25-30 in Chicago.