United Imaging Healthcare's New-Generation Digital PET/CT "uMI Panvivo" Enters Clinical Use in Japan

August 3 news, United Imaging Healthcare Japan Co., Ltd. announced that the first unit in Japan of its new-generation digital PET/CT scanner “uMI Panvivo” has been put into clinical use at Saitama Central Clinic, located in Omiya-ku, Saitama City.

Saitama Central Clinic is a medical institution specializing in diagnostic imaging. Since its opening in 2009, the clinic has continuously conducted comprehensive cancer screening centered on PET/CT scans, and provides FDG-PET cancer examination services based on the needs of local medical institutions, with an annual PET/CT examination volume ranking among the highest in Japan. With the introduction of uMI Panvivo, the clinic expects to further shorten examination time and enhance image quality on the basis of its existing high-precision diagnostic imaging.

According to reports, uMI Panvivo is a digital PET/CT system with a TOF timing resolution of 219 ps, an NEMA spatial resolution of 2.9 mm, and an effective sensitivity of 181 cps/kBq. Leveraging its high detection performance, the device can visualize small lesions under short acquisition time and low-dose examination conditions. Its AI image reconstruction technology “uExcel DPR (Deep Progressive Reconstruction)” suppresses noise and improves contrast, delivering higher-quality images in low-dose and short-duration imaging scenarios, while combining with high sensitivity to enhance the detectability of small lesions.

In terms of device design, uMI Panvivo adopts a compact air-cooled structure that eliminates the need for a water cooling system, helping to improve installation convenience and reduce operating costs. Meanwhile, intelligent imaging assistance functions, including the uAI Vision 3D camera, support automation of the examination workflow, streamline operational procedures, and improve consistency in examination quality.

In head PET scans, slight patient movement during imaging can affect image quality and result interpretation. The built-in head motion correction function NeuroFocus in uMI Panvivo detects and corrects body movement during imaging, reducing motion artifacts and obtaining high-resolution images close to pre-motion data. This function helps stabilize image quality in brain PET scans and is particularly useful in examination scenarios related to dementia diagnosis.

Data also shows that in a case of a 76-year-old female with breast cancer staging, the TOF(+)AI(+)DPR mode, which combines time-of-flight technology and AI image reconstruction, maintained the ability to detect small lesions such as lymph node metastases even with shorter acquisition time. Comparing images from conventional PET/CT equipment and uMI Panvivo, it was found that uMI Panvivo could confirm the left internal mammary lymph node with an acquisition time of at least 45 seconds per bed position; in current routine clinical practice, to more reliably visualize micro-lesions of 5 mm or smaller, an acquisition time of 90 seconds per bed position is used, which is only half of the 180 seconds per bed position required by conventional equipment.

United Imaging Healthcare Japan Co., Ltd. stated that it will continue to leverage digital PET/CT technology, including uMI Panvivo, to provide high-definition, low-burden imaging solutions for diagnostic scenarios related to cancer screening and treatment.