Bulgaria Puts in Operation Its 1st PET Scanner

The first PET scanner in Bulgaria was officially put into operation at the University Hospital in Varna. Photo by DarikNews

Bulgaria now has new modern equipment, known as PET scanner, to be used for diagnosing and treating cancer patients.

The PET scanner was officially put into operation Saturday at the University Hospital St Marina in the Black Sea city of Varna in the presence of caretaker Health Minister, Prof Nikolay Petrov.

Petrov said the unique equipment can discover even miniature cancer metastases at very unusual localizations in the body and at a very early stage, greatly improving the outcome for the patient.

A PET scan uses radiation, or nuclear medicine imaging, to produce 3-dimensional, color images of the functional processes within the human body. PET stands for positron emission tomography. The machine detects pairs of gamma rays which are emitted indirectly by a tracer which is placed in the body on a biologically active molecule. The images are reconstructed by computer analysis. Modern machines often use a CT X-ray scan which is performed on the patient at the same time on the same machine.

PET scans can be used to diagnose a health condition, as well as for finding out how an existing condition is developing or to see how effective an ongoing treatment is.

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