Before Maastricht UMC + had this new scanner, patients in that region had to be sent for such a scan to a PET research center in Jülich, Germany, just across the border from Roermond. The fact that new scanning technology is now also available in Maastricht has several advantages in addition to a shorter travel time. Treatment can take place closer to home and diagnostics for brain tumors are now more accurate and faster.
FET PET / MRI scan diagnostics
With the new MRI scan technique Use is made of FET (Fluoroethyl-Tyrosine), an amino acid that is incorporated in areas where many proteins are produced. This happens, among other things, with certain malignant brain tumors such as glioblastomas. With a so-called FET PET / MRI scan (a combination of Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging), the absorption of FET by the tumor is precisely measured and mapped.
Determining the size and location of the tumor as accurately as possible is important, among other things, in determining the best place to take a neurosurgical biopsy. The better imaging can also help to distinguish the effects of radiation from growth of the tumor. For example, the effect of this on the surrounding tissue is easier to see during the irradiation. The new FET-PET / MRI is mainly requested for patients who have doubts about the effect of the treatment.
Maastricht UMC + and Erasmus MC
Maastricht UMC + is – besides Erasmus MC – the only center in the Netherlands that has an integrated PET / MRI scanner, and one of the first clinics to use the technique not only for research but also for patient care. Erasmus MC is also working on the use of The AI model for identifying brain tumors.
The new FET-PET / MRI research has become possible through close collaboration between different departments of the Maastricht UMC +: Imaging, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Radiotherapy and Medical Oncology, and with the support of the boards of the Oncology Center and the Brain / Nerve Center.
Opening event 2021
Would you also like to attend the ICT & health Opening Event on 17 June 2021? Entrance tickets are free, but they are really gone! So don’t wait and sign up quickly.
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