User Speak

A few leading hospitals share details about their unique PET CT

PET-CT imaging system is moving toward low radiation and better imaging. By identifying body changes at the cellular level, PET may detect the early onset of disease before it is evident on other imaging tests. Here’s a look at the PET CTs of a few leading hospitals:

Aster Medcity

Type of PET CT being used: The group uses Time of Flight (ToF) PET CT with 16 slice from Philips - Philips TruFlight Select at Aster MIMS, Calicut and Aster Medcity, Kochi.

Procedures for which PET CT is used:

• Whole body PET CT Scanning using FDG

• PSMA PET CT scanning using Gallium 68

• Ga-68 DOANOC PET CT for Neuroendocrine tumours

• Simulation procedures for radiotherapy planning

Number of patients that use PET CT on a monthly basis: Around 175

Type of isotope used: Fludeoxyglucose , FDG (F 18) and Gallium 68

Steps to ensure quality of clinical outcomes by using PET CT: Staging and care of plan, during treatment interim PET CT, change protocol based on it Eg: lymphoma, end of treatment - evaluate the efficacy of chemo/RT . plan for continual treatment, follow ups.

Says Gopinath M, Chief Medical Physicist, RSO & Senior Manager Operations, Aster Medcity, Kochi, “PET CT has an important role in the entire course of treatment starting from staging and developing a plan of care, to know the response during treatment and post treatment and for follow-ups.”

Onsite or Offsite Cyclotron: Offsite. “We have a Cyclotron facility in Ernakulam (Molecular Cyclotrons) and in case of non availability, we procure from Bengaluru,” says Gopinath.