New PET CT scanner at St. Luke's Boise to bring expanded, more accessible patient care

From assisting with cancer diagnoses to performing heart-related rest and stress tests, Positron Emission Tomography scanners are a valuable health care tool that continues to gain new capabilities.

A new PET CT scanner located at St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center is making it possible for more patients to remain in Idaho to receive the imaging care they need and for patients to get appointments more quickly.

Previously, Treasure Valley patients could only receive such scans at St. Luke’s Portico West, sometimes requiring very ill patients to be transported between the Boise and Meridian facilities. A full schedule in Meridian often meant appointment wait times of up to two months, and in some cases, patients were referred outside of the system to receive a PET CT scan sooner.

Recently, staff gathered to celebrate the addition of PET CT imaging technology at St. Luke's Boise Medical Center.

“This is a significant addition of technology that will expand access to care in the Treasure Valley, said Dennis Mesaros, St. Luke’s vice president of population health for Boise, Elmore and McCall. “St. Luke’s is committed to providing the right care in the right place at the right time. The new Boise-based PET CT scanner will even allow the youngest patients to receive this care closer to home with our ability to provide anesthesia support in the hospital setting.”

Until recently, most young children who required a PET CT scan would need to go elsewhere, often out of state.

Positron Emission Tomography utilizes small amounts of radioactive substances known as radiotracers, along with a specialized camera, to assess the function of organs and tissues. PET can identify changes at the cellular level, allowing it to detect the early stages of disease before other imaging methods.

“PET CT, in its infancy, represents a groundbreaking fusion of molecular imaging and anatomical detail, promising to revolutionize diagnostic accuracy and patient care,” offered Drew Taylor, chief operating officer for St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center.

Radiotracer doses are flown in daily from Spokane. With the addition of a second PET CT scanner at St. Luke’s Treasure Valley locations, combined with new radiotracers being approved for care, daily deliveries will double.

Additional recently approved PET radiopharmaceuticals are expected to take diagnosis and treatment to the next level with prostate conditions, neuroendocrine, breast cancer and dementia.

The new Boise PET CT scanner investment was made possible in part through $1.4 million in philanthropy.

“We are so grateful to our donors for recognizing the importance and value of adding technology that will expand access to critical imaging across the Treasure Valley,” said Travis Bradburn, St. Luke’s vice president and chief philanthropy officer. “We couldn’t have done it without the generous community support.”