PET scans (Positron Emission Tomography), used to diagnose certain types of lung cancer, will now be covered by state-supported health insurance companies in Germany not only on an inpatient, but also on an outpatient basis by contracting physicians. A corresponding resolution has been published in the April 26, 2007 Bundesanzeiger No. 79.
"We are pleased at the signal effect this announcement will have on establishing a unique diagnostic method, and we expect it to encourage much more widespread use thereof," noted Dr. Andreas Hey, the Executive Board member of Eckert & Ziegler AG (ISIN DE0005659700) in charge of the company's Radiopharmaceutical segment. The subsidiary Eckert & Ziegler f-con Deutschland GmbH is the leader on Germany's wholesale market for pharmaceutical preparations used in PET scan diagnostics.
A study recently presented by researchers from the Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid at a conference of the European Society of Radiology demonstrated the advantages of PET/CT scans in diagnosing lung cancer. A precise correlation between anatomy and metabolic activity increases diagnostic accuracy; combined PET and CT scans considerably improve representational quality and reduce data acquisition times.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a diagnostic imaging process used in nuclear medicine. This method can now be prescribed by contracting physicians to determine the state of primary non-small-cell lung carcinomas including detection of remote metastases, to identify recurrence of primary non-small-cell lung carcinomas, and to characterize pulmonary masses in place of surgical interventions. The Federal Joint Committee already approved this method for state-supported insurance coverage on an inpatient basis in December of 2005, and commissioned the development of corresponding quality assurance measures.
Eckert & Ziegler is a globally active specialist for radioactive applications in medicine, science, and industry, concentrating on cancer therapy, nuclear medical diagnostics, and measuring technology. Listed on the Frankfurt Prime Standard (ISIN DE0005659700), the company is headquartered in Berlin-Buch, employs more than 300 people, and maintains offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, Prague, Paris, Milan, and Chennai (India) in addition to its German sites.
"We are pleased at the signal effect this announcement will have on establishing a unique diagnostic method, and we expect it to encourage much more widespread use thereof," noted Dr. Andreas Hey, the Executive Board member of Eckert & Ziegler AG (ISIN DE0005659700) in charge of the company's Radiopharmaceutical segment. The subsidiary Eckert & Ziegler f-con Deutschland GmbH is the leader on Germany's wholesale market for pharmaceutical preparations used in PET scan diagnostics.
A study recently presented by researchers from the Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid at a conference of the European Society of Radiology demonstrated the advantages of PET/CT scans in diagnosing lung cancer. A precise correlation between anatomy and metabolic activity increases diagnostic accuracy; combined PET and CT scans considerably improve representational quality and reduce data acquisition times.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a diagnostic imaging process used in nuclear medicine. This method can now be prescribed by contracting physicians to determine the state of primary non-small-cell lung carcinomas including detection of remote metastases, to identify recurrence of primary non-small-cell lung carcinomas, and to characterize pulmonary masses in place of surgical interventions. The Federal Joint Committee already approved this method for state-supported insurance coverage on an inpatient basis in December of 2005, and commissioned the development of corresponding quality assurance measures.
Eckert & Ziegler is a globally active specialist for radioactive applications in medicine, science, and industry, concentrating on cancer therapy, nuclear medical diagnostics, and measuring technology. Listed on the Frankfurt Prime Standard (ISIN DE0005659700), the company is headquartered in Berlin-Buch, employs more than 300 people, and maintains offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, Prague, Paris, Milan, and Chennai (India) in addition to its German sites.
