Clínica Vila Parc, part of the Policlínica group, has installed the first SPECT-CT scanner in Ibiza, a nuclear medicine system that helps diagnose cancer and many other diseases at an early stage.
What is SPECT-CT?
The equipment combines two techniques:
- SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography), a form of scintigraphy that shows how tissues and organs are functioning, using a small dose of a radioactive tracer;
- CT, which shows the anatomy and exact location of structures.
Combined, they show both where something is and how it is behaving. Because changes in function often appear before structural damage, the technique can detect some diseases at an early stage.
Uses
- Orthopaedics: detecting loosening of joint replacements and bone infections.
- Cardiology: assessing blood flow to the heart muscle in ischaemic heart disease.
- Neurology: studying dementia and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Nephrology: detecting kidney damage from infection, particularly in children.
- Endocrinology: studying the thyroid, locating parathyroid adenomas and detecting neuroendocrine tumours.
- Oncology: locating bone metastases and the sentinel lymph node in breast cancer.
It is also used in theranostics, a field that combines diagnosis and treatment using radiopharmaceuticals.
The clinic says it has already used the scanner to locate sentinel nodes in breast cancer, study heart disease, find parathyroid adenomas and investigate neuroendocrine tumours.
SPECT-CT and PET-CT
SPECT-CT complements PET-CT, the other major imaging tool of nuclear medicine, which is also available in Ibiza. SPECT uses tracers such as technetium-99m and is widely available and versatile; PET, which usually uses a glucose-based tracer, is particularly sensitive for detecting many cancers.
Closer to home
Until now, many patients in the Pitiusas had to travel to Mallorca for this type of test. Having the equipment on the island saves time, travel costs and stress for patients and their families — a recurring issue in the health care of the smaller Balearic islands.
Is it safe?
The radiation dose from the tracers used in SPECT is low and is eliminated from the body within a short time. As with all tests involving radiation, doctors weigh the benefits against the risks, and pregnant or breastfeeding women should always inform staff before the test.
