GE Healthcare has announced that its single-photon emission computed tomography system Optima NM/CT 640 has received its first global commercial installation.

The Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth has become the first facility to implement the advanced technology, which is designed to help physicians balance high image quality with low patient radiation dose and efficiency.

It requires minimal renovation and installation costs and can be fully upgraded for future use, while it can be used in conjunction with GE Healthcare's Xeleris Workstation to unlock further practical benefits.

Nathan Hermony, general manager for nuclear medicine at GE Healthcare, said: "We are dedicated to pushing nuclear medicine to its full potential and developing equipment that helps customers address the challenges they are confronted with every day - high image quality, low dose and short exam times."

Earlier this month, the company announced a new alliance between Vanderbilt University and GE Global Research, which aims to better define how colon tumours form and develop at a cellular level.