Demand for PET Imaging Surges 12.2% in 2024, Straining Capacity at U.S. Facilities, IMV Report Finds

ARLINGTON, Va., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PET procedure volumes grew by 12.2% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to IMV's newly released 2025 PET Market Summary Report. The increase reflects mounting demand for molecular imaging services and is putting pressure on existing imaging infrastructure across the United States.

While procedure volumes climbed, the average number of scans per installed fixed PET/CT system rose by 8.2%, indicating that many facilities are absorbing the increased demand using current system capacity. According to Davin Korstjens, Director of Market Intelligence at IMV Medical Information Division, "The uptick in both overall volume and per-system utilization highlights the efficiency of current systems, but also signals a need to reassess future imaging capacity."

Physician Workload and Facility Differences

The report reveals that at sites with fixed PET/CT systems, physicians read an average of 336 PET scans annually per site. However, this number varies widely by facility size—from just 119 scans per physician in hospitals with fewer than 200 beds to 567 scans per physician in hospitals with more than 400 beds.

General radiologists read PET scans at 69% of surveyed sites, followed by nuclear medicine physicians (51%) and cardiologists/nuclear cardiologists (11%). The top referring specialists include medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pulmonologists.

Wait Times Rise with Demand

Forty percent of sites reported wait times of eight days or more for nonemergency outpatient PET scans—a figure that remains steady year-over-year but has more than doubled since 2019. This trend, coupled with growing scan volumes and system usage, points to increasing strain on PET imaging resources.

Future Outlook

"With longer wait times and higher utilization, the data suggests that facilities may need to expand PET imaging capacity to keep up with growing demand," added Korstjens.

IMV's 2025 PET Market Summary Report offers a comprehensive view of the PET imaging landscape in the U.S., including procedure volumes, equipment installed base, service providers, purchase plans, and site operations. Based on survey responses from 509 radiology professionals collected between February 2024 and January 2025, the report includes insights on key vendors such as Bracco, Canon, Cardinal Health, GE HealthCare, Jubilant/Draximage/Triad Isotopes, PharmaLogic, Philips, Siemens, SOFIE/IBA/Eastern Isotopes, and United Imaging.

For More Information on the report, visit here.

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IMV Medical Information Division is part of Science and Medicine Group and a sister company of AuntMinnie.com.

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SOURCE IMV Medical Information Division