systemGE HealthCarePET CTfamily: discovery-pet-ct

GE Discovery STE

Family: GE Discovery PET/CT · Modality: PET/CT

Mid-generation GE PET/CT — BGO crystals with 16-slice CT integration, pre-LYSO and pre-ToF. Discovery STE is the successor to the original Discovery ST (which shipped with 8-slice CT) and precedes the LYSO-based Discovery 690 and subsequent digital Discovery MI platforms. Large global installed base through its late-2000s / early-2010s shipping run; one of the most-traded GE legacy PET/CT platforms on the current secondary market.

PET detector architecture

  • BGO (bismuth germanate) crystals — 6.2 × 6.2 × 30 mm. High stopping power (dense, high-Z) but slower scintillation decay than LSO / LYSO. Adequate for non-ToF reconstruction; doesn't support the tight coincidence-timing window needed for clinical ToF.
  • 24 PET detector rings.
  • Axial FOV 157 mm (15.7 cm).
  • 3D-OSEM (ordered-subset expectation-maximization) reconstruction — the standard GE PET reconstruction approach of the BGO era. 128 × 128 matrix standard.
  • Non-ToF — Discovery STE predates GE's ToF-capable platforms; Discovery 690 was GE's first clinical ToF PET/CT.

PET performance envelope

  • Axial spatial resolution — 4.4 mm at R1 (1 cm from center), 5.99 mm at R10 (10 cm from center).
  • Sensitivity — 2.3 cps/kBq at R0 (center of FOV), 2.3 cps/kBq at R10.

CT side

  • 16-slice CT — LightSpeed-class 16-slice CT chassis integrated into the Discovery STE gantry.
  • Performix X-ray tube family — 6.3 MHU heat capacity.
  • Shared service lineage with stand-alone LightSpeed 16 CT on the CT-only side.

Specs

  • BGO PET (6.2 × 6.2 × 30 mm crystals)
  • 24 detector rings · 157 mm axial FOV
  • 3D-OSEM reconstruction (128 × 128)
  • Axial resolution 4.4 mm (R1) / 5.99 mm (R10)
  • Sensitivity 2.3 cps/kBq
  • 16-slice CT · Performix tube · 6.3 MHU
  • Non-ToF

Clinical positioning

  • Community oncology PET/CT — FDG staging, restaging, treatment-response imaging.
  • Mid-volume hospital PET/CT — workhorse mainstream clinical workflow through the late 2000s.
  • Cardiac rubidium (Rb-82) — myocardial perfusion PET with CT attenuation correction.
  • Neuro PET — amyloid, FDG dementia.
  • Not positioned for small-lesion ToF workflows — Discovery 690 and later LYSO/ToF successors are the step-up within GE when ToF sensitivity matters.

Market position (secondary / refurb)

  • Large global install base. Discovery STE is one of the more-traded GE legacy PET/CT platforms in the secondary market, alongside Discovery VCT.
  • Mature service ecosystem — GE OEM service; multi-vendor service coverage on BGO detector blocks and LightSpeed-class CT.
  • CT side shares parts lineage with stand-alone LightSpeed 16 — Performix tubes, DAS, slip-ring, HV generator.
  • Successor pathway — Discovery 690 (LYSO, ToF) → Discovery MI (digital SiPM, ToF) → current Discovery IQ (entry BGO) / Discovery MI / Omni Legend.

Relationship to siblings and successors

  • Discovery ST — predecessor with 8-slice CT (same BGO PET detector architecture).
  • Discovery VCT — 64-slice-CT sibling in the same BGO era.
  • Discovery 690 — first GE LYSO + ToF PET/CT, direct successor.
  • Discovery MI — digital-SiPM successor generation.
  • Discovery IQ — current BGO-based entry-tier PET/CT.

Related