In the past one year the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) has carried out 993 PET Scans at the newly established facility. Figures sourced from the institute reveal that 563 male and 430 female patients underwent scans during from January 2018, to January 2019. This was a record considering the facility had been newly set up at the SKIMS, a statement said.
An official said the facility has come as a boon for hundreds of patients, who in absence of the facility here, were forced to spend lakhs of rupees outside state for conduct of the test at private diagnostic centers. Even at government centers, the PET Scan is at least Rs 4500 costlier than at SKIMS. At SKIMS each scan costs 14950.
The PET has taken centre stage in imaging application of disease detection, and its importance is growing within the realm of diseases diagnostic methods particularly cancer. With its broadest application in oncology practice, a combination of CT scan and PET, called ‘hybrid imaging’ gives rich insights of nature and the extent of a disease process. PET Scan is often indicated for detection and progress of malignancies.
Apart from lymphomas and carcinomas of the lung, airway tract and gastrointestinal tract, the malignancies screened include that of the pancreas, adrenal, thyroid and parathyroids. The staff strength of the department of nuclear medicine at SKIMS presently includes one additional professor, two postgraduates, two junior residents, two nurses, two technologists, three technicians, and one nursing aide. The SKIMS officials said that the Institute was on the course of expanding the department and developing a new nuclear medicine block.