Overall PET procedure volumes increased by 12.2% in 2024 compared with 2023, according to the newly published IMV 2025 PET Market Summary Report.
Over the same period between the two years, the average number of PET scans performed per installed fixed PET/CT systems increased by 8.2% — a finding that indicates that much of the increased procedure volumes have been absorbed by existing PET system capacity.
Davin Korstjens of IMV Medical Information Division.
For sites with a fixed PET/CT system, there is an annual average of 336 PET scans read per physician per site. This ranges from a high of 567 scans per physician in over 400 bed hospitals, to a low of 119 in under 200 bed hospitals.
| Average Annual PET Imaging Scans Read per Physician per Site | |
|---|---|
| Site Type | Scans |
| All fixed PET Sites | 336 |
| Under 200 bed hospitals | 119 |
| 200 to 399 bed hospitals | 243 |
| More than 400 bed hospitals | 567 |
| Hospital-owned imaging centers | 260 |
| Independent imaging centers | 285 |
Regarding the physician types that read PET scans, general radiologists read these exams at 69% of sites, nuclear medicine physicians at 51% of sites, and cardiologists or nuclear cardiologists at 11% of sites. The top referring physicians sending patients for PET scans are medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pulmonologists.
Overall, 40% of responding sites had a wait time of eight or more days for nonemergency outpatient PET scans, which was relatively flat year-over-year. However, this percentage is up 21 percentage points from 2019, when just 19% of responding sites had a wait time of eight or more days.
Taken together, increasing procedure volumes, higher capacity use of installed PET systems, and longer wait times for procedures suggest that sites may need to expand PET imaging capacity to meet increasing demand for these procedures going forward.
Follow IMV Medical Information on LinkedIn for more diagnostic imaging updates.
Davin Korstjens is the Director of Market Intelligence at IMV Medical Information Division, part of Science and Medicine Group.
Want to share your knowledge of medical imaging? Click here to sign up for the IMV Survey panel today.
IMV’s 2025 PET Market Summary Report explores market trends in U.S. hospitals and imaging centers, including procedure volume, manufacturer installed base features and share, the use of OEM vs. third-party service providers, purchase plans, brand loyalty, and site operations characteristics. The report was published in March 2025 and is based on responses from 509 radiology/departmental administrators and clinicians who participated in IMV’s nationwide survey from February 2024 to January 2025. Vendors covered in this report include Bracco, Canon, Cardinal Health, GEHC, Jubilant/Draximage/Triad Isotopes, PharmaLogic, Philips, Siemens, SOFIE/IBA/Eastern Isotopes, United Imaging.
For information about purchasing IMV Market Outlook Reports, visit the corporate website at https://imvinfo.com/ or call 703-778-3080 ext. 1033 to speak with a representative.
Disclosure: IMV Medical Information Division is a sister company of AuntMinnie.com.
Leave a Reply