Department of Nuclear Medicine
The Department of Nuclear Medicine plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of diseases. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that provides the best diagnostic tools in the country, such as Positron Emission Tomography/ Computerized Tomography (PET/CT), Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography/Computerized Tomography (SPECT/CT), Radioimmunoassay, and Bone Densitometry. In fact, the PET Center at St. Luke’s Medical Center – Quezon City is the first of its kind in the country and has since pioneered the practice of this modality.
The Department offers a wide array of tests for the evaluation of medical conditions affecting the cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems to name a few. Furthermore, the diagnostic utility of nuclear medicine has been extended into the operating room, enabling surgeons to perform Radioisotope-Guided Surgery (RGS), such as sentinel lymph node biopsy and parathyroidectomy. With the use of RGS, the extent and duration of surgery can be minimized with less post-operative complications.
Aside from FDG PET/CT, the Department also offers a multitude of tests for detecting cancer. One of these is Scintimammography, which allows the detection of breast cancer in individuals not eligible for conventional X-ray mammography.