PET-CT scan

Information for Health Professionals

Everything you need to know about our PET-CT service at Mount Vernon Hospital and The Lister Hospital in Stevenage.

PET-CT scanning overview

Paul Strickland Scanner Centre acquired its first PET-CT scanner in 2004, after the centre installed the UK’s first PET machine outside central London in 1991. Since Paul Strickland Scanner Centre first opened its doors in 1985, the clinicians at the centre pride themselves as being versatile and forward thinking, providing the highest standard of PET-CT service – fully compliant with the Quality Standard for Imaging (QSI).

The centre has several key advantages for people who need a PET-CT scan:

As a charity it is buffered to a much greater extent from the current financial constraints of the NHS. This means that we able to respond rapidly to advances in technology, and we currently have two PET-CT scanners.
Our PET-CT service includes weekends. This increases choice for patients, reduces the time patients have to wait before their scan, and reduces the time from initial presentation to diagnosis.
We have a preferential supply of radioisotopes vital for PET imaging from an onsite cyclotron, ensuring a reliable supply of radiotracer for our patients. Only very rarely do scans have to be cancelled due to a lack of radiotracer.

We are committed to serving our NHS patients and work closely with the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC) and associated multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs). Clinicians often visit us to discuss urgent issues regarding diagnosis and treatment with our acclaimed, friendly and knowledgeable radiologists.

In 2018, we launched a satellite PET-CT site at Lister Hospital in order to improve access to patients living to the north of Mount Vernon.

We have a reputation for delivering world class PET-CT research with a dedicated superintendent radiographer research lead, PhD medical physicist and internationally renowned radiologist, leading to ground-breaking clinical trial studies with management changing results. Studies have been published some of the most influential journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med. 2016 Apr 14;374(15):1444-54). We also supervise MSc, MD and PhD students undergoing clinical imaging research studies.

Why choose us

We have been providing a high-quality service to clinicians and patients ever since Dr Paul Strickland launched the first PET imaging service at Mount Vernon in the 1990s, at the time the first service of its kind outside central London. With sites at both Mount Vernon and The Lister Hospital in Stevenage, we are able to accommodate patients from a wide catchment area.

About the team

We have a close-knit, experienced PET-CT team of booking secretaries, radiography assistants, radiographers, onsite physicists and radiologists devoted and dedicated to working together to provide a compassionate patient focused PET-CT service of the highest quality. All staff undergo regular continuous professional development (CPD) training to ensure they are aware of the latest developments in their areas of expertise and in compliance with regulatory requirements.

The service is overseen by our eminent PET-CT lead radiologist Dr Wai-Lup Wong. Apart from his lead role at Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, he is Specialty Advisor for PET-CT at NHS England, External PET-CT Advisor at NHS Wales, Chair of the Cancer Diagnostics CRG NHS England and is an appointed assessor for the Quality Standard for Imaging (QSI), managed by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Our Superintendent Radiographer for PET-CT is Mr Bruno Ferreira.

Our PET-CT Scanners

We have two PET-CT scanners which are predominantly used for whole body imaging, using radioactive glucose, i.e. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), in people with cancer. Beyond FDG, PET radiotracers specific for prostate cancer are used routinely; for example we use 18F Choline to improve care of people with prostate cancer.

We are one of a select few centres in the UK who offer Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) PET-CT scanning for prostate cancer.

In addition, the centre provides a PET-CT service for appropriately investigating people who do not have cancer, including those with fever of unknown origin (PUO) and suspected vasculitis. We also provide a specialist FDG PET-CT brain imaging service for the Harrow memory clinic through Northwick Park Hospital.

Specific features

The centre’s PET-CT scanners have specific features that enable us to scan with low radiation doses, improving patient safety. Wide fields of view scanners, use of automatic dose reduction hardware and software techniques enable dose reduction while maintaining image quality.

The centre performs low-dose PET-CT, followed immediately by a contrast enhanced high dose CT on the same scanner to optimise workflow and for the ease of our patients.

We have radiotherapy-approved lasers fixed on the walls of our latest PET-CT scanner room, enabling us to integrate PET-CT into radiotherapy treatment planning at Mount Vernon Hospital. It is currently being considered for people with lymphoma in particular.

In February 2018, Paul Strickland Scanner Centre launched PSMA PET-CT scanning. The new scan could be particularly useful for men who have been treated for prostate cancer and are in remission (but under surveillance with regular blood tests) to make sure that they are clear of the disease. Some doctors believe that especially the relatively small number of patients who are at higher risk of developing metastatic disease (where the cancer spreads to outside the prostate gland) could really benefit, and it could mean catching and treating their cancer earlier – possibly resulting in a cure.