GE joins crowd with baby cyclotron

Scanditronix was omitted in our last issue from a list of vendors(SCAN 7/31/91) that have developed negative-ion cyclotrons--so-calledbaby cyclotrons--for the production of positron emission tomographyradiopharmaceuticals.

Negative-ion machines don't produce the radiation that traditionalPET cyclotrons generate, so shielding requirements are reduced.The lower shielding requirement trims manufacturing and sitingcosts, which in turn reduces the overall cost of operating a PETsystem (see story, page one).

GE Medical Systems, which purchased the Scanditronix PET camerabusiness early last year (SCAN 12/13/89), is exclusive distributorof the PETtrace 200 cyclotron, said Dow R. Wilson, GE PET marketingmanager.

With GE marketing the Scanditronix negative-ion system, allthree major PET vendors--Siemens, Positron and GE--now offer thelower cost technology.

The PETtrace 200 is a dual-particle cyclotron. The advantageof this technology is that two targets can be irradiated at once,producing two different isotopes simultaneously, Wilson said.

"This is beneficial if you have a big program or multiplescanners that you are supporting," he said.

The Scanditronix cyclotron can produce oxygen-15, nitrogen-13,carbon-11 and fluorine-18 PET tracers.

GE's relationship with Scanditronix works well for both sides,Wilson said. The world's largest medical imaging equipment vendorhas no desire to build cyclotrons.

"We want to stick to our knitting," he said. "Weare an image processing and sales and service company. We don'twant to be an accelerator manufacturer. Scanditronix is as goodat that as anyone--maybe better. We want them to stick to theirknitting, so they can engineer and manufacture a state-of-the-artcyclotron, and we can market it for them."