Molecular imaging and therapy centre open now: Reform Radiology
A new state-of-the-art facility, located on Kilmore Street (opposite Forté Health), offers a dedicated suite of molecular imaging and therapy services.
This is the second clinic for Reform Radiology, whose Antigua Street location offers a broad range of conventional imaging services. The new Molecular Imaging and Therapy Centre offers advanced digital PET-CT and nuclear medicine SPECT-CT scans, a specialty imaging service that is one of the first available at a radiology clinic in the South Island. 
How is molecular imaging different from scans like CT or MRI?
Unlike MRI or CT scans which provide structural information, molecular imaging demonstrates the function of an organ
or organ system by tracking the passage, accumulation, or excretion of a radiopharmaceutical. Molecular imaging plays an essential role in diagnosis of a wide variety of conditions, which in turn can lead to timelier and more effective treatment.
What would a patient visit your centre for?
“Using our PET-CT scanner, we can provide valuable diagnosic and staging information for various cancers, including prostate, melanoma, lung, breast, neuroendocrine, and colon cancer. Using SPECT-CT, we can assess the function and disease states of multiple organs, such as the heart, brain, kidneys, liver/gallbladder, bones and thyroid/parathyroids, as well as provide sentinel node localisation prior to surgical biopsies,” says Dr Stefan Gabrielson, Nuclear Medicine Specialist.
What is nuclear medicine?
Nuclear medicine refers to the well-established practice of using small amounts of radioactive materials and their emitted radiation from the body to diagnose and treat disease.
What is theranostics?
“Theranostics combines the use of one radioactive drug to identify sites of disease, and a second to deliver targeted therapy. Peptides are used to target specific cancer cells (such as those in prostate or neuroendocrine cancers), binding them to a radioactive isotope that can visualise the cancer’s spread in the body on our PET-CT scanner.
For certain patients, we can then bind the same peptide to a different isotope that selectively targets and destroys these cells, leaving nearby healthy tissue unharmed. This innovative approach in radiopharmaceuticals offers patients a greater choice of personalised oncological treatment options,” says Dr Gabrielson.
Why is it so significant to have this service now available through a speciality clinic in Christchurch?
This is the first private clinic to offer this range of services to patients in the South Island. “Our highly trained PET-CT and nuclear medicine radiologists and technologists are excited to offer this service to both patients and referring clinicians in the South Island,” says Dr Joel Dunn, Chief Medical Officer.
