PET CT Scan Services in Kenya
PET scan services in Kenya became available with the installation of the first Cyclotron machine at KUTRRH. This brought relief as most patients were accessing the PET scan services outside the Country. The services were also unavailable in any public hospital.
Today, the NHIF has been supporting patients in accessing PET Scan services at KUTRRH. To have more resources available locally and ease the long queues at private facilities, KUTRRH, in collaboration with the government of Kenya, began constructing a state-of-the-art IMIC facility.
The IMIC is home to 2-PET CT machines, SPECT CT, and a Cyclotron machine. With our PET CT up and running, we are now scanning patients from Monday-Friday, running 2-shifts of scanning, hence attending to more patients and reducing the queues from our private partners.
Having PET Scan services in a government facility means that:
- Kenyans no longer need to spend more traveling abroad to access the service
- There is increased screening for early cancer detection hence increasing the survivorship rate.
Patient Preparation For PET/CT Scans.
*The above preparation is only applicable to FDG PET scans*
For residents using NHIF, pre-authorization is done at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital, provided patient premiums are up to date.
What To Expect
*If you are a distant traveler, please consider staying at our accommodation facilities at the hospital.*
PET/CT
A PET/CT scan is a nuclear medicine imaging test that combines positron emission tomography (PET) with x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging in a single test to evaluate how the body works. PET/CT scans are particularly useful in the treatment of cancer, especially for increasing the accuracy of diagnosis.
During a PET/CT scan, a small amount of a radioactive drug (tracer) is injected into the patient to identify areas with abnormal metabolic or biochemical action and thereby detect diseased cells. Doctors rely on PET/CT scan reports to diagnose, monitor, and treat cancer and achieve better treatment outcomes. There are several types of PET/ CT scans, but the most common is the fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) scan which uses a tracer that is processed in the body in the same way as the glucose in the food we eat.
