Smt. Sheila Dikshit Unveils South Asia's First PET SUITE at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals

NEW DELHI, February 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Shaping the dimensions of the ever-evolving and complex healthcare environment in India, Apollo Hospitals, India's leading healthcare provider, launched The PET SUITE in India. The PET SUITE was launched on 16^th February at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals by Hon'ble Chief Minister, Smt. Sheila Dikshit. Also present on the occasion were Shri D M Spolia, Chief Secretary - Government of NCT of Delhi, Dr. Ashok Kumar Walia, Hon'ble Minister for Health & Family Welfare,  and Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group.

Paving the way for the next generation of clinical multimodality imaging applications and designed to diagnostically address the complexities of human body, Apollo Hospitals has installed a PET CT and a PET MR, which is first-of-its-kind across South Asia, in the PET SUITE, signifying a tremendous leap forward in imaging capabilities.

This unique concept of PET SUITE, consisting of PET-CT and PET-MR, is the only one-of-its-kind facility in the world comprising comprehensive cutting-edge technology. PET MR system has resulted from the amalgamation of a state-of-the-art whole body 3T MRI scanner and a high-end PET system, which has been fully integrated and precisely aligned within the same gantry. This enables to simultaneously acquire accurate information on morphology, function and metabolism. The significance of this facility gets manifold augmented by the deft handling and interpretive reporting of leading experts in the field.

Benefits:

• Provides comprehensive diagnostic picture.

• Aids in early detection, therapy selection and treatment.

• 'Zero' radiation exposure makes PET MR a safe modality for pediatric evaluation.

• Determines the effectiveness of the treatment.

• Less scan time, thereby reducing patient discomfort significantly.

• Replaces multiple medical testing procedures with a single examination.

• Determines the extent of the disease in the human body.

The PET-CT facility being equipped with state-of-the-art 427 slice/sec CT scanner, Ultra HDPET with highly specialized 4D respiratory Gating software is a boon for cancer patients as the radiotherapists would be able to deliver highly precise radiation dose, synchronized with patients' breathing pattern.

Addressing the media, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, "First to bring PET SUITE to South Asia, Apollo Hospitals Group continues to deliver on its promise to bring the most advanced in patient care. It's a tremendous leap forward in imaging capabilities. Our highly trained doctors will now use one of the world's most advanced combination scanners which will give them highly defined, 3-D images, enabling them to make the best choices about treatments across specialties. And since PET MR is a system that can simultaneously acquire data across the whole body, the scanning takes less time thereby reducing the patient discomfort. As MR has no radiation, the PET MR significantly reduces overall radiation dose, making it safer for paediatrics and patients undergoing repeated studies for therapy monitoring."

The advantages of the PET MR system would be its superior quality images with better soft tissue contrast, leading to better localization and characterization of lesions. Other than its application in cancer, PET MR will play a greater role in understanding various disease processes in cardiology and neurological diseases. Its 'zero' radiation exposure from the machine (unlike CT), makes it safe for pediatric case evaluation, reproductive age group women and can be used for disease follow up. PET MR will establish a new understanding of the previously unknown interrelation between different measures of pathology and physiology in human body. With the enhanced ability to explore correlations between structure and function, perfusion and metabolism, tissue diffusivity and cell proliferation; PET MR potentiates our ability of gaining new insights into the progress of disease, unlocking new paths to treatment or even opening new areas of research.

With approximately 3 million people suffering from cancer in India and one million new cases of cancer being detected every year, there is an urgent need for early detection and the right treatment to avoid recurrence. PET-MR helps precisely in that by providing important information for early detection and staging of cancer, which can be a decisive factor for treatment planning, therapy selection including target therapy and follow up.

About Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd. (AHEL)

In 1983, Dr Prathap C Reddy, the architect of Indian healthcare, launched the first corporate hospital in India, Apollo Hospitals Chennai. Over the years, Apollo Hospitals Group has grown to become one of Asia's largest integrated healthcare organizations with over 8,500 beds across 50 hospitals, more than 1350 pharmacies and over 100 diagnostic clinics. The Group also offers medical business process outsourcing services, health insurance services and clinical research divisions with a focus on epidemiological studies, stem cell research and genetic research. To develop talent for the burgeoning need of superior healthcare delivery, Apollo Hospitals Group has 11 nursing and hospital management colleges. These achievements have earned Apollo Hospitals Group several accolades, including the Centre of Excellence from the Government of India and recognition from the Joint Commission International (seven of our hospitals are JCI accredited). In a rare honour, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo's contribution, the first for a private healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr Prathap C Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan, in 2010. Apollo Hospitals Group, for over 29 years, has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Our hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.

For more information visit www.apollohospitals.com

Primary Media Contact: Parul Chabbra, parul_c@apollohospitals.com, 91-9810588410

Secondary Media Contact: Kusum Sahijpal, kusum_s@apollohospitals.com, 91-9999973090