
The autumn BNMS meeting in Swansea was fantastic. Neil Hartman and team delivered a truly memorable meeting from both the perspective of the program and the entertainment! The program would not have looked out of place at an international meeting. The impromptu Welsh choir and clog dancing were a welcome addition not seen a BNMS in my time as a member! The meeting was sold out which I think may be a first for the BNMS but is a good barometer about the health of British nuclear medicine. I would like to thank industry for the support they gave the meeting. There was lots of delegate interaction with our industry colleagues which was great to see. The tour of Swansea nuclear medicine department was a popular event where people saw the first GE Starguide 360 CZT scanner in the UK in operation.
Theranostics was a key theme at the meeting with a lot of excitement about future possibilities. I learnt about the idea of giving a parent radionuclide for MRT to achieve the effect through the daughter which is something as a jobbing imager I hadn’t really considered. The formed Medial Director for Practice at the RCR gave a talk on Duty of Candour in imaging which had standing room only and prompted much debate.
I spoke in a session on 360 CZT imaging where initial experiences from the two available systems: the Vertion CT from Spectrum Dynamics and the GE Starguide were communicated. It was interesting to see how the systems delivered similar advantages but also differences in the way the two centres, Bath and Swansea had chosen to implement them. The session stimulated a lot of questions and good quality discussion. In my view 360 CZT will become the mainstream way we do SPECT CT. When was the last time you did a planar PET-CT?
The nuclear reactor that supplies Mo in Belgium has broken and there is currently a Mo shortage. The BNMS has put guidance on our website about what to do. Please read it if you have not already done so. We will update this as the shortage continues about how to prioritise your work and radiology alternative studies that can be done to off load nuclear medicine pathways.
Thank you all once again for all you are doing both directly and indirectly for our patients at this really challenging time to be delivering healthcare.
Prof Richard Graham
BNMS President