La Jornada – Discover how nuclear medicine is transforming early disease detection

PET-CT is changing the way we treat and early diagnose diseases.

Mexico City, August 28, 2023. In a world where accurate and rapid diagnosis makes all the difference, nuclear medicine has emerged as an exceptional ally in the fight against serious diseases. This medical branch that integrates nuclear technology with medicine plays an essential role in the early and accurate identification of various diseases.

Imagine a technology that would allow you to look at the human body in amazing detail, detecting problems at an early stage when treatment would be most effective. This is exactly what nuclear medicine offers. By introducing small amounts of radioactive material, called radiopharmaceuticals, which emit gamma rays, their path through the body can be traced using specialized equipment. These detailed images give us a deep insight into how the body works internally, which is essential for detecting diseases before they get out of control.

One of the technological gems in nuclear medicine is positron emission tomography (PET) in combination with computed tomography (CT). Known as PET-CT, these two technologies combine your data to deliver highly accurate 3D images. While positron emission tomography (PET) allows us to visualize the metabolic and functional activity of tissues, PET scans provide essential anatomical information. This alliance allows clinicians to correlate biological activity with anatomical structure, greatly increasing diagnostic accuracy.

Mexico City recently saw the inauguration of an innovative PET-CT molecular imaging unit. This specialized diagnostic center, which shares the same values ​​and quality standards as Salud Digna, represents a milestone in the field of medical care. Equipped with PET-CT technology, this unit enables clinicians to identify diseases in their early stages. This ability could lead to more effective treatments and a potential increase in cure rates.

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The unit is equipped with a General Electric Health-Care Discovery IQ PET-CT camera, which contains 5 PET loops and 16 CT slices, generating diagnostic images to visualize, characterize and quantify biological processes at the molecular level. Interpretation of results is mixed, in which radiologists participate alongside highly specialized nuclear medicine physicians in PET-CT, ensuring diagnostic certainty for their patients.

Nuclear medicine is an essential resource for early and accurate disease detection, which improves the chances of treatment and recovery for patients. PET-CT, in particular, has proven its value in combining metabolic and anatomical information to provide more accurate diagnoses. Mexico City’s new PET-CT molecular imaging unit represents a momentous achievement, providing patients with access to affordable and accurate diagnoses, laying the foundation for world-class medical care in the country.

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