Heartbroken over the 'million dollar' PET/CT machine being forced to lose its job

Since the cyclotron at Cho Ray Hospital - the only one in the South that produces and supplies radioactive isotopes - stopped operating, the 'million-dollar machines' serving PET/CT scan needs have also been 'covered in blankets'.

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 noticed the quiet scene of "closed doors" with no more patients waiting for PET/CT scans.

Dr. Diep Bao Tuan - Director of the Oncology Hospital - said that the PET/CT 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 available, depending on each case, doctors will prescribe other alternative solutions for patients such as CT scans, MRIs...

However, Dr. Quoc Thinh - President of the Vietnam Palliative Care Medicine Association, former Deputy Director of the 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 can show images like lesions and tumors, but they are not specific to whether they are benign or malignant, but when you take a PET/CT scan, you will see them very clearly," Dr. Thinh cited.

Photo series of PET/CT scanner system at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital "covered up":

The PET/CT scanner system of the Oncology Hospital is of high quality, 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.

An unwanted incident 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 up"

The area for relatives and patients to wait for injections and PET/CT scans at the Oncology Hospital was recorded before it was shut down.

Patients are injected with radioactive drugs at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital. Doctors and patients must come into contact with 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.

THUY DUONG - DUYEN PHAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/xot-xa-voi-co-may-trieu-do-chup-pet-ct-that-nghiep-bat-dac-di-20250624130645222.htm