“It’s like switching to the latest generation of television. We feel that the image is finer, and for nothing in the world we would want to go back. » It is in this very educational way that Doctor Damien Momboisse, head of the molecular imaging and nuclear medicine department at the Agen-Nérac hospital, deciphers this new cutting-edge equipment: a positron emission tomograph (PET ) digital. So of course, you have to be a specialist to distinguish an old image from a new one. But the professionals are not mistaken. “This technological leap guarantees earlier diagnosis of diseases or recurrences. »
A key service in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers, among others. This involves injecting fluorodeoxyglucose, a product containing sugar, which clumps around the tumors. “Thanks to this technique, coupled with a scanner, we have a very fine position of the tumor,” explains the doctor.
“Rise of power”
A positron emission tomograph (PET), the Agen hospital has been equipped with one since 2017. This, in operation since the end of August, offers digital technology which allows a more fluid reading, “because the image is directly interpretable. And in color.” A huge time saver for the team. Currently, 22 people use this machine every day. “We are gaining momentum. »
The PET scan is coupled to a scanner. Faster, with a larger opening, this allows better care of patients, including those with claustrophobia.
Loïc Déquier / SO
What slows down the arrival of new patients, as is often the case in the health system, are professionals. Here, it concerns people who can handle such equipment. That said, the team was enriched with a new young doctor, who arrived at the beginning of the week. “Such equipment promotes attractiveness,” adds Doctor Momboisse. A relatively young team, therefore, “and recruitments in progress”.
The Agen hospital in deficit: so what?
The director of the Agen-Nérac Hospital Center spoke on Wednesday January 31 of a complex financial situation, particularly due to the national context. It’s not all dark though
This equipment, which requires an investment of 3 million euros, is the first of its generation in Lot-et-Garonne. “We are the only ones in the department to have one. We are the first resort for a much larger population than the department. » With a quality equal to what is done in Bordeaux, Toulouse or Montauban. “In total, 15% of our patients come from neighboring departments. »
The benefits of this equipment are a real public health issue. This is why these investments are made possible. “There is not only the diagnosis, more detailed, and we even go as far as the therapeutic evaluation of treatments. » Even if the word is sometimes cold, “nuclear medicine, which we prefer to call metabolic, is today an integral part of multidisciplinary care in oncology”.
This is a gain of luck for each person. But also for society as a whole. “Fewer products, more precise, earlier diagnoses, therefore shorter hospitalizations and better chances of recovery,” further argues Doctor Momboisse. In oncology, but also for monitoring inflammatory or infectious diseases.
