For the first time in the history of Positron Emission Tomography/ Computed Tomography (PET/CT), Philips Medical Systems and Medical Coaches Incorporated will display the GEMINI 16-slice system on a mobile coach at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Convention in the McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, November 28 through December 3. The coach will be located in Booth No. 7171.

The GEMINI is the world’s first open PET/CT scanner. This particular design improves patient comfort by reducing the claustrophobic effect associated with a long tunnel. The GEMINI offers doctors and physicians more flexibility when diagnosing and treating patients for various applications. Clinical applications include cancer diagnosis and staging, cardiac viability and perfusion, as well as neurological applications. The GEMINI’s open design facilitates easy access to the patient to provide ability to perform interventional procedures.

The GEMINI is a highly complex piece of scanning equipment that requires precise leveling and the utmost stability. Engineers from both Philips Medical Systems and Medical Coaches spent numerous hours designing and developing the special PET/CT frame that support this piece of equipment. According to Geoff Smith, President and CEO of Medical Coaches, “The frame we have constructed for the GEMINI system is the same structure used in our television trailers with 40 foot expandable sides. This unique assembly allows an operator to have a consistent deployment of the expandable sides, on all types of terrain, without deflection. The expandable walls are crucial in the operation of the trailer due to the size of the 5,000 pound gantry.”

Medical Coaches utilizes a special bonding agent (the same used in luxury yachts, fighter aircrafts and the space shuttle) to join their side sections. The resulting bond is much stronger than rivets or welds and allows the finished unit to be much lighter than a standard mobile design.

All PET/CT trailers are built from the ground up at Medical Coaches’ 100,000 square foot facility located in Upstate New York. Philips Medical Systems then ships the GEMINI system to the plant in Oneonta, where it is installed by a certified team of professionals and calibrated on the 48 foot customized coach.

Medical Coaches is currently building stock trailers ready to receive equipment allowing a 60-90 day turnaround time from receipt of order to customer delivery. For more information please contact Chad Smith, Marketing Director PET/CT Systems.