Nuclear Medicine

BLK-Max hospital is equipped with the latest state of art, time of flight PET/CT (GE Discovery 710) with 16 slice CT, the first of its kind in North India. The department also has a dual head SPECT-CT Gamma camera installed. With an exclusive thyroid ward, BLK-Max is one of the very few hospitals to have a complete Nuclear Medicine imaging and therapeutic facilities under one roof.

PET/CT imaging has revolutionized many fields of medical diagnosis including oncology, neurology, cardiology, surgical planning and radiotherapy planning. In the field of oncology PET/CT finds its use in every stage of management of patients, from diagnosis to staging to assessing treatment response. With the combination of CT with PET, functional imaging which depicts metabolic or biochemical activity can be precisely aligned or correlated with anatomic imaging. It helps in deciding the mode of treatment to be used for patients by accurately staging the disease in the body.

Besides, PET study also helps in assessing treatment response during the chemotherapy and to differentiate between scarring and recurrent disease. It is now being increasingly used for defining tumor volumes for precise targeting and for guided metabolic biopsy. PET/CT can help in early detection of dementias and can help in preventing unnecessary bypass surgeries in heart patients by detecting the viable and non viable myocardium.

The SPECT/CT gamma camera is a dual head variable angle camera, interfaced with a sophisticated processing station, with the latest hardware and software for all nuclear medicine imaging. Accurate analysis of scans, using high resolution three dimensional functional images processing and co-registration with anatomical images using a CT are provided in a short time. It is used to detect functional changes in tissue and organs before structural changes manifest. Bone scans, thyroid scans, myocardial perfusion scans, renal scans are a few of the tests which are performed here.

The thyroid cancer ward is an exclusive isolation ward for the treatment of patients with thyroid cancer who have undergone surgery and need ablation of their residual or remaining thyroid tissue or the treatment of their bone or lung metastases. BLK-Max is one of the few centers in Delhi which boast of this facility.

In addition to the above the department also provides treatment of thyrotoxic patients, radiation synovectomy and palliation of intractable bone pain using Strontium-89, Samarium-153 etc. It will soon be starting Y90 Sirspheres/Theraspheres therapy for unresectable liver tumors and as a bridge to liver transplantation.

The department of Nuclear Medicine & PET/CT is backed by a highly trained and experienced staff, ensuring global quality standards.

Comprehensive Services Offer By Nuclear Medicine Department

Our team of highly experienced radiologists works in collaboration with fields of medical diagnoses including oncology, neurology, cardiology, surgical and radiotherapy planning for managing patients, from diagnosis to staging to assess treatment response. Some of the major imaging facilities we offer at the department include:

PET/CT (GE Discovery 710) With 16 Slice CT

It is the latest generation PET CT Scan machine that has advanced capabilities of offering accurate diagnosis and treatment of diseases. It is an advanced PET CT that offers many distinct advantages over traditional imaging techniques such as excellent quality high definition images, lower radiation doses and higher sensitivity.

This highly advanced scanning machine finds its use in every stage in the field of oncology for the management of patients. From diagnosis to staging to assessing treatment response the combination of CT with PET will accurately depict metabolic or biochemical activities that are precisely aligned or correlated with anatomic imaging. The doctor uses this accurate evaluation of staging the disease to design a patient-centric treatment plan.

During chemotherapy, the PET study also helps in assessing treatment response and to differentiate between scarring and recurrent disease.The technique is broadly used for defining tumour volumes, for guided metabolic biopsy and precise targeting of the tumour. PET/CT can help in early detection of dementia and can help in preventing unnecessary bypass surgeries in heart patients by detecting the viable and non-viable myocardium.

SPECT/CT Gamma Camera (Tomographic Imaging)

First-of-its-kind dual head Spect CT comes with a variable angle gamma camera that offers an advantage of tracing physiological pathways early in the disease process in a non-invasive manner.This state-of-the-art dual-head Gamma camera, when interfaced with a SPECT/CT, offers High Resolution, accurate, three-dimensional functional images co-registered with patient anatomical data.

Various scans like thyroid, cardiac, renal etc. can be performed in a short period. It also provides the facility for therapy of CA-thyroid, bone pain and thyrotoxicosis.In addition to these techniques, our department also provides treatment of radiation synovectomy, thyrotoxic patients, and palliation of intractable bone pain using Strontium-89, Samarium-153, etc.

Conditions Treat By Nuclear Medicine

Our ultra-modern Imaging and Therapeutics techniques (for example, a nuclear medicine bone scan) offer functional information about bones, tissues, or organs, thereby, helping doctors to determine the causes of a medical problem. We provide expert diagnosis and treatment for disorders and diseases related to:

• Bones
• Coronary artery disease (CAD)
• Lungs
• Paediatrics
• Brain
• Benign and malignant tumours
• Neuroendocrine tumours
• Prostate cancer
• Endocrine disorders
• Gallbladder disorders
• Renal disorders
• Heart and vascular diseases
• Lymphoma
• Neuroblastoma
• Thyroid disorders/thyroid cancer (Graves' Disease)
• Transplant patients