PET/CT room of Oncology Hospital "closed", photo taken on the morning of June 24
According to Cho Ray Hospital, the new cyclotron is expected to be operational in about 6 months at the earliest. Thus, radioactive isotope drugs for PET/CT scans at Cho Ray Hospital, Oncology Hospital, Military Hospital 175 and Kien Giang Oncology Hospital will also have to wait until that time.
This means that the PET/CT scanning systems - dubbed "million dollar machines" - of these hospitals must stop working.
Tuoi Tre Online reporters visited the PET/CT system at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital - one of three modern systems in Ho Chi Minh City - and saw a quiet scene of "closed doors" when there were no more patients waiting for PET/CT scans.
Dr. Diep Bao Tuan - Director of the Oncology Hospital - said that the PET/CT scanner system is used to diagnose, evaluate stages and monitor the effectiveness of treatment for diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurological diseases.
Previously, more than 10 patients were assigned to PET/CT scans every day. Some experts also said that when PET/CT scans are not possible, depending on each case, doctors will assign patients other alternative solutions such as CT scans, MRIs...
However, Dr. Quoc Thinh - President of the Vietnam Palliative Care Medicine Association, former Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital - explained that MRI and CT cannot replace PET/CT because the accuracy of CT and MRI cannot be equal to PET/CT.
"PET/CT is the pinnacle of accurate imaging diagnosis. MRI and CT show images like lesions and tumors but are not specific to whether they are benign or malignant, but when taking a PET/CT scan, it will be very clear" - Dr. Thinh cited.
Photo series of PET/CT scanner system at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital "covered":
The PET/CT scanner system of the Oncology Hospital is high-end, with the flexibility of independent diagnostic CT, but unfortunately it has now "stopped working".
This is not the first time patients have encountered difficulties when machines have problems that make them unable to use them.
The unwanted thing happened when many patients in the Southern region were not able to use PET/CT technology to evaluate the stage and effectiveness of cancer treatment.
This PET/CT system must be "covered"
The area for relatives and patients to wait for injections and PET/CT scans at the Oncology Hospital was recorded before the shutdown.
Patients are injected with radioactive drugs at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, doctors and patients must contact each other through leaded glass partitions.
Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital is equipped with a high-end Discovery MI DR PET/CT system with the flexibility of independent diagnostic CT. Before stopping operation, it can scan 10 patients/day.
Now patients will have to run around instead of being able to get a PET/CT scan right at the hospital like in the past.
Doctors monitor the PET/CT scan process for patients in the past
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/xot-xa-voi-co-may-trieu-do-chup-pet-ct-that-nghiep-bat-dac-di-20250624130645222.htm
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