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Scanning systems designed to combine computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) capabilities. These systems may consist either of CT and PET scanners mounted in a common mechanical support within a single gantry or of open-design CT and PET scanners that permit the use of CT and PET as stand-alone scanning systems. They also include common tables, workstations, monitors, and appropriate software to align the CT and PET images. The systems may be used when needed for separate CT and PET studies without loss of technical performance. The system provides fusion (i.e., integration) of anatomic images provided by CT slices and the functional (metabolic) images from PET scans taken in the same session with the patient in treatment position. CT/PET combined systems are intended to facilitate faster and more accurate evaluations; they are mostly used for the diagnosis, treatment planning, and evaluation of therapy in cancer patients, characterizing the disease by both its anatomic and biological features.
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