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UFS needs PET/CT machine to improve management of patients

15 September 2022 | Story André Damons | Photo André Damons

Dr Osayande Evbuomwan, Prof Willy Vangu and Dr Gerrit Engelbrecht — Dr Osayande Evbuomwan, nuclear medicine specialist and Senior Lecturer, left, and Dr Gerrit Engelbrecht, Clinical Head of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the UFS, right, with Prof Willy Vangu, Chief Specialist and Head of Nuclear Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, after his lecture.

There is no doubt that an institution like the University of the Free State (UFS), with its calibre and pedigree, needs a PET/CT machine (medical-imaging device that simultaneously and clearly reveals both anatomical details and metabolic processes within the body), particular in oncology, in improving the management of patients.

This is according to Prof Willy Vangu, Chief Specialist and Head of Nuclear Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, who was a guest lecturer on 8 September 2022 at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the UFS.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a type of nuclear medicine imaging modality that measures the metabolic activity of the cells of body tissues. PET imaging is useful in the evaluation of patients with neurological, cardiac, infection, inflammation, and most importantly oncological conditions. Through its ability to detect metabolic changes very early, it can detect disease conditions that might not be easily detected on other forms of anatomical imaging.

Role of PET/CT in different clinical scenarios

In his lecture, Prof Vangu talked about the role of PET/CT in different clinical scenarios. By giving practical examples, he explained the role of PET/CT in different aspects of clinical medicine, including brain imaging for dementia, movement disorder and cerebrovascular reserve.

“Looking at dementia, we will focus on one of diseases that is today becoming a major source of health concern, Alzheimer's disease. The latest Alzheimer's report that was published in 2018 stated that there are 50 million individuals currently suffering from Alzheimer's. They forecast that in 30 years we are going to have more than 150 million people suffering from this disease. PET/CT imaging can identify very early the typical patterns associated with all the different types of dementias, including Alzheimer's disease…”

For cardiac application, Prof Vangu said there are so many indications for PET/CT in cardiac imaging. One of the most important is the assessment of myocardial viability, in patients who have suffered from cardiomyopathy due to ischemic heart disease. PET/CT offers a noninvasive method of identifying viable myocardium that would benefit from revascularisation, with a very high diagnostic accuracy.

Prof Vangu, who is also the head of nuclear medicine at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic and Chris Hani Baragwanath hospitals as well as head of the department for radiation sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, said PET has been around for many years and is not something new. However, in clinical practice, PET imaging became significant with a breakthrough that occurred with the production of the glucose analogue tracer, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). This tracer in PET/CT imaging has revolutionised the management of cancer patients for the oncologist. It offers the ability of more accurate cancer staging, assessment of treatment response, assessment of disease recurrence and in some situations, surveillance. It has the ability to predict early which cancer patients will benefit from a particular drug, thereby giving the oncologist an idea on either to de-escalate treatment or change to a second line regimen very early on in the management.

An internet example of an image taken by a PET/CT machine. Photo for illustration: A PET/CT Imaging machine.

PET/CT came onto the market only in the year 2001, when it was launched for the first time by David Townsend (a physicist) and Ronald Nutt (electrical engineer). As at today, almost every institution in the country has at least one PET/CT machine.

“Looking at clinical applications, which is really the crux of the lecture today, there are so many clinical applications to talk about. You need a full week of a PET/CT symposium to go through all of them (and) maybe that might not even be enough. We can at least from this talk have an idea on how PET/CT can be applied in clinical medicine,” said Prof Vangu.

No other road for the university but to get a PET/CT machine

He also showed the impact and results that PET/CT imaging had in the management of infection and inflammation including TB. He said the role of PET/CT in TB is for monitoring of treatment, identification of extrapulmonary TB and prognosis.

In concluding his lecture, he said there is no other road for the university but to get a PET/CT machine. “There is no argument about it. The institution needs it to improve the management of patients, especially the oncology and cardiology patients. Confidently making the decision on which patients to treat, how to treat them, identifying and evaluating their true response to therapy requires a PET/CT machine.

“I am happy to hear that the policy- and decisions-makers in the province and the university are looking forward to having a PET/CT machine,” he said later.

Dr Osayande Evbuomwan, nuclear medicine specialist and Senior Lecturer, and Dr Gerrit Engelbrecht, Clinical Head of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the UFS, are both looking forward of having a PET/CT in the department because in addition to its use in clinical setting, it has a huge role to play in research and training postgraduate students, as PET/CT imaging makes up a huge chunk of the postgraduate training curriculum

News Archive

UFS hikers to Cape Town reflect on their journey

2014-05-26

For the four volunteers from the university who are currently on their way to the Cape on foot, every hour of every day is a victory.

It is three weeks since two employees from the University of the Free State (UFS), Adéle van Aswegen and Ntokozo Nkabinde, together with two other Bloemfontein residents, Nico Piedt and Ronel Warner, left Bloemfontein on fóót for the Cape, in order to highlight the problem of food insecurity among students.

On Sunday 18 May they crossed the halfway mark at Beaufort West and will conclude their journey on Tuesday 3 June in Cape Town.

This is what the hikers have to say after three weeks on the road:

Adéle van Aswegen
It isn’t only a physical journey, but rather an emotional journey you undertake. You learn what it means to be truly thankful for basic things like clothes, a place to sleep and food.

Nico Piedt
I know what it feels like to survive on only a glass of water in your stomach – a cup of weak tea if you’re lucky – for the whole day. If I can help (through the hike) to give someone a better chance in life, then it is worthwhile.

Ronel Warner
You think and grow simultaneously. As you plan every stride ahead of you, you also plan your life ahead.

Ntokozo Nkabinde
You don’t walk for yourself. You undertake this journey, maybe because you want to help someone, but this journey is actually in honour of something bigger and you just have to endure.”

These boots are made for walking ... to Cape Town (Article of 02 May 2014)
“Aren’t auntie and them hungry yet?” Country folk worried about NSH hikers (15 May 2014)

Daily updates:
(You can also follow us on @UFSweb for daily tweets)

Day 33: 2 June 2014
13:40
20 km
Sunset Beach, Cape Town

Day 32: 1 June 2014
16:05
26 km
Mervyn and Sanet Wessels, Belville

Day 31: 31 May 2014
16:31
39.6 km
Rhonell and Gavin Julain, Paarl

Day 30: 30 May 2014
14:00
16 km
Monte Rosa, Rawsonville

Day 29: 29 May 2014
13:16
31 km
The Habit, Worcester

Day 28: 28 May 2014
11:00
22.4 km
Monte Roza, De doorns

Day 27: 27 May 2014
17:00
21.1 km
Karoo Hotel

Day 26: 26 May 2014
18:27
43.3 km
Tows river

Day 25: 25 May 2014
12:18
Lord Milner Hotel, Matjiesfontein

Day 24: 24 May 2014
16:30
42 km
Laingsburg Country Lodge

Day 23: 23 May 2014
17:32
41.8 km
Vergenoeg

Day 22: 22 May 2014
16:42
43 km
Assendelft Lodge and Bush Camp, Prins Albert

Day 21: 21 May 2014
15:09
42 km
Leeu Gamka Hotel

Day 20: 20 May 2014
13:39
20 km
Alida, Springfontein

Day 19: 19 May 2014
12:31
27.6 km
Teri Moja Game Lodge

Day 18: 18 May 2014
First rest day
Nagenoeg Guesthouse, Beaufort West

Day 17: 17 May 2014
19:30
62.3 km
Nagenoeg Guesthouse, Beaufort West

Day 16: 16 May 2014
13:00
14 km
Taaibochfontein

Day 15: 15 May 2014
16:03
32 km
Travalia, Three Sisters

Day 14: 14 May 2014
18:33
43 km
Joalani Guest Farm

Day 13: 13 May 2014
17:30
33 km
Die Rondawels

Day 12: 12 May 2014
16:49
40 km
Aandrus B&B in Richmond

Day 11: 11 May 2014
39 km
Wortelfontein (Magdel and Christiaan)

Day 10: 10 May 2014
15:44
34 km
Hanover Lodge

Day 9: 09 May 2014
40.8 km
Camping between Colesberg and Hanover

Day 8: 08 May 2014
15:25
33.7 km
Colesberg, The Lighthouse Guesthouse

Day 7: 07 May 2014
15:08
23 km
Orange River Lodge

Day 6: 06 May 2014
15:57
51.06 km
Gariep Forever Resort

Day 5: 05 May 2014
12:18
28 km
Rondefontein

Day 4: 04 May 2014
15:27
35 km
Trompsburg: Fox Den

Day 3: 03 May 2014
17:30
46.74 km
Edenburg Country Lodge (Hotel)

Day 2: 02 May 2014
11:44 am
15.3 km
Tom's Place

Day 1: 01 May 2014
32 km
Leeuwberg

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