With the commissioning of the Saxenburgh Medical Center (September 2020), a new gamma camera has been placed in the nuclear medicine department with SPECT-CT or a 3D option. This new device offers benefits to various patient groups and allows more precise bone scans of patients with painful bones or joints.
Bone scan for painful bones
A large part of the scans with the gamma camera are bone scans for patients with painful bones and joints. The scans show where the bone is stimulated. This could be, for example, a patient who has had problems with the feet for some time. With the old gamma camera it could only be seen that there was irritation in the middle of the foot.
Jan Willem Aalderink, Manager of the Nuclear Medicine Department, explains: “With the arrival of the new SPECT-CT in our department, orthopedists can indicate much more precisely where the problem is. With a SPECT-CT a 3D image can be made, so that only the affected spot lights up in the 3D model of foot. The CT scan then shows the affected area of wear, but sometimes also a small bone fracture or other abnormality, which makes a diagnosis much more accurate”.
Bone scan for cancer
In addition to the more precise representation of the SPECT-CT, there is also a great advantage for whole-body bone scans. In patients with cancer, if there is a suspicion of metastases in the skeleton, a bone scan is made of the entire body. With the old gamma camera it was sometimes difficult to recognize whether it was due to wear or metastasis. The patient had to come back for another scan at the radiology department. This is no longer necessary with the arrival of the new camera. With the new SPECT-CT, it is possible to see precisely where it lights up and to determine whether it is wear or metastasis on the CT.
SPECT-CT for patients with heart complaints
Patients with heart complaints also benefit from SPECT-CT, for example when the cardiologist suspects that there may be a narrowing in the coronary arteries. These patients can have a heart scan that shows if there is an area in the heart that is not getting enough blood. The images are clearer on the new gamma camera, because anterior tissues can be filtered out.
A calcium score can also be made. This is a CT scan that measures the amount of calcium in the coronary arteries. This score tells the cardiologist whether the patient has a high or low risk of a heart attack in the future.
Source: Saxenburgh
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