Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology

Our Team      Photogallery

A brief overview of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology Specialized Center

In the Specialized Center of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology we treat patients from the whole of the Czech Republic. In the department, we focus mainly on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid gland and severe forms of thyroid orbitopathy using the 131 I-MIBG therapy.  In addition, we carry out standard radio isotopic diagnostics.

We have already attended to the needs of more than 20.000 patients. In 2014, 1.000 patients were hospitalized, and 4.000 outpatients underwent treatment that   included various types of examinations and therapeutic applications of radioactive pharmaceuticals.

In the case of the radiation-navigated surgery for breast cancer, or melanoma of the vulva and cervix carcinoma, our specialists cooperate closely with surgical departments. 

How will your detailed schedule look like? What type of procedures, methods or treatment can you observe? Check what can you see by shadowing every member of the mentoring team.

Is this specialty placement ideal for you?

  • Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology are a perfect choice for those of you, who are interested in medicine as well as in physics or science. Why? You will see the application of the thyroid gland oncology treatment, as well as other types of treatment that require the most advanced radiation equipment. That is why is important to respect the instructions of your mentoring team. The gamma cameras and other special devices are maintained daily to provide 100% precise results of patients´ examinations. Caution, passion for physics and couriosity need to be your key streaks here.
  • Future doctors and engineers focused on healthcare are the right people who should choose this placement. It is great opportunity to witness the scientific progress and how it is applied in daily treatment and particular cases. You will definitely appreciate the sophisticated devices the center possess.

Let's take a closer look at the specialties…

Our center comprises two departments – Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology. Administering a small amount of radioactive substance into the body in order to diagnose, determine and treat a disease - typically cancer is the purpose of Nuclear Medicine. These radiopharmaceuticals target a specific organ or the cellular receptors. External detectors are then able to turn the radioactivity emitted from the radiopharmaceuticals into images. Sections of the thyroid, heart, liver, bones, lungs or the gallbladder can be the imaged the most easily. Nuclear Medicine is valuable when our colleagues from various departments need to make a quick diagnosis. 

The department of Endocrinology is concerned with diseases that are caused by changes in blood hormone imbalances that occur when there is a disruption to the glands and organs involved in the endocrinal system. The aim of the treatment is to restore the body's normal hormonal balance.

Our workplace, which is the only one of its kind in the Czech Republic, is a center for the treatment of TAO (Thyroid-Associated Orbiopathy) inhibitors of growth hormone, for the diagnosis and therapy of advanced forms and differentiated thyroid cancer using recombinant human TSH (Thyrogen) and for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors using the 131I-MIBG radiopharmaceutical.  For each patient, the correct power of dosage administered needs to be carefully monitored. But the patients are not the only ones who are constantly evaluated. Our gamma cameras are checked daily to ensure that  we provide the highest quality of examination and treatment of our patients.

In terms of our unique technological equipment we are proud to mention that in the outpatient department  of Nuclear Medicine we have a SPECT / CT camera Symbio Inteva Excel and in our ward a two-headed camera with crystal 5/8 “Symbio S.

Also, we have modernized our radiopharmaceutical laboratory reaching the level of C grade.

Our center consists of the following specialized outpatient facilities:

  • Endocrinology and diagnosis of differentiated carcinoma of thyroid gland (DTC); the dispensary has over 13.800 patients (this is one of the largest cohorts in the world)
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Consulting on Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC)
  • Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy (TAO)
  • Nuclear Medicine Department

Who do we take care of?

Our team focuses on the diagnosis, treatment and preventive treatment for patients with tumors of the thyroid gland, as well as for patients diagnosed with more serious forms of thyroidal orbitopathy. We provide assistance throughout the entire range of our specialization in the field of nuclear medicine diagnosis. Also, we ensure consulting services in the field of endocrinology and offer super-consulting services (specialized in thyreology) for individual endocrinologists within the University Hospital in Motol.

In the ward, we treat, nationally, differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients with radioiodine and patients with certain neuroendocrine tumors with 131I-MIBG. The ward has 34 beds, divided into two departments – diagnostic and therapeutic.  The Endocrinology part of our center focuses on consulting examinations in the fields of thyreology, calciophosphate diseases and metabolic diseases of the adrenal glands. Our skilled professionals provide the treatment and monitoring of patients with differentiated and medullary thyroid carcinoma. In addition, they provide comprehensive care to thyreoncological patients and perform the sonographic examination of the thyroid using the targeted aspiration fine needle biopsy.

In the outpatient department of Nuclear Medicine we offer a wide range of scintigraphic examinations (bone scintigraphy, nuclear nephrology, cardiology, cancer diagnostics, Pneumology, examination of the CNS or thyroid diagnostics) in both, pediatric and adult patients, as well as the palliative treatment of bone metastases and radionuclide synovectomy. We also cooperate with surgical facilities in the radiation-navigated surgeries.

Our methods and procedures

Our coordinated team performs these procedures within the department:

  • Diagnosis and treatment of differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid gland using human recombinant thyreostimulation hormone
  • Diagnosis using a hybrid combination of X-ray (CT) scanning and isotope (SPECT) imaging
  • The introduction of new radiopharmaceuticals in clinical practice such as Tectrotyd-99m
  • Clinical testing of new pharmaceutical for the therapy of medullary carcinoma and radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid carcinomas
  • The provision of genetic testing in patients with familial forms of medullary thyroid carcinoma

How does the usual schedule look like?

  • The schedules of the placement are regular as the procedures are planned in advance. Your mentoring team will present you with your detailed schedule on Monday morning, we guarantee 25 hours weekly as a minimum.

Our Team


Photo Jan Šibík

MUDr. Christo Cheriyan Vazhappilly

Resident Doctor

Doctor


We are doctors who use radioactive materials, called radiopharmaceuticals, to diagnose a condition, interpret its characteristics, and treat it more effectively. We use techniques like scintigraphy, which uses radiopharmaceuticals to produce images of the body's organs or to visualize certain diseases. These radioactive materials are typically injected into a patient's vein, however, it may also be inhaled or swallowed by the patient. I would like to help you discover your interests in the field of Nuclear Medicine, by letting you explore the wonderful combination of different disciplines of Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, and Medical Science. 

Why did I become a healthcare professional?

Although I went to medical school intending to become a primary care doctor, I realized during my final years of medical school that I was much more interested in diagnosis than treatment. Nuclear medicine gives me the opportunity to see dozens of interesting cases per day, and it requires a broader, deeper knowledge base, constant outside reading and the ability to focus through frequent interruptions, and is deeply intellectually fulfilling for me. In the future, we are going to become a major part of theranostics as biomarker techniques improve and personalized imaging and therapy become a reality for the mainstream patient.

I like to invite prospective students to our department, who aspires to progress further in their chosen careers. I will help you to brainstorm your career possibilities, define your career goals and establish action plans to reach your professional goals, even though it’s a minimal time commitment, it will certainly make a real impact on your future.

What do I love the most about my specialty?

What interests me is this field's unique ability to perform true physiologic imaging of the human body, and the hybrid scanning techniques using radiology done inside out because it records radiation emitting from within the body rather than radiation that is generated by external sources.

What can you see by shadowing our team?

You will be able to see imaging technique in nuclear medicine, which provides information about the anatomy and function of the human body, which would otherwise be unavailable or would require a more invasive procedure. You will have experience with specific imaging studies that are generally more organ-, tissue- or disease-specific such as octreotide scan, ventilation/perfusion lung scan, bone scans for cancer and it’s possible metastasis, thyroid & parathyroid scans, static & dynamic scan of the kidneys, brain or myocardial perfusion scan, and DaT scan for Parkinson’s and many others.

Apart from being a healthcare professional...

I have unique ways to unwind from daily stress and keep the looming threat of burnout, which hangs over the medical profession. The time, I have mostly spent is on traveling to different places creating the memories for the lifetime, so far 42 countries, and I am still counting. I enjoy playing cards, chess, driving, collecting antique coins, tokens, paper money, and objects of similar form and purpose. Hobbies come and go over the years, but I love the idea of always having a "current obsession”.

My motto…

Live every day to the fullest  - in moderation smile

Photo Jan Šibík

Ing. Tereza Kráčmerová

Radiology Physicist

Physicist


Nuclear medicine remains a mystery to a lot of people. Maybe some of my colleagues would disagree, but I think that the whole Department of Nuclear Medicine depends on radiology physics. smile If the devices that are needed for the therapies conducted here did not work correctly, all of the procedures connected with them would be pointless, and that could cause serious problems for the patients. Our work starts after a healthcare professional´s diagnosis. We can only do most of our studies to improve our treatment during the weekends or following the work of my colleagues, but the results of these studies can provide great satisfaction.

Why did I become a healthcare professional?

In my high school days, I enjoyed math, biology, and physics. I was very interested in medicine, but I did not like the idea of nights full of memorizing Latin terms by heart. On a recommendation made by some of my friends, I spent a week at an event called the “Week of Physics“, a students’ conference full of interesting lectures, excursions, and experiments organized by the Czech Technical University. Here I discovered projects that involved radiological physics. After completing several projects at the faculty, I fell madly in love with this field. After two years of study at this faculty, I did have a moment where I wanted to give it up, but I ultimately overcame that moment and decided to finish my studies.

Nuclear medicine remains a mystery to a lot of people. Most of them do not even encounter anything involving this field, and those who do may have some trouble understanding it. However, nuclear medicine brings a lot of opportunities due to its wide range. Everyone can find his or her place in this field. Whether it is as a doctor of nuclear medicine, endocrinologist, or radiology physicist, each one of us has an important role in the department.

What do I love the most about my specialty?

I like that my work differs from day to day; it is not a job where you have to deal with the same things over and over again. Every minute something new and unexpected can occur, and you need to be focused all the time. You simply cannot get bored. I often face some new problems or obstacles that are challenging to overcome. The possibility of development and progress in this field is one of the main reasons why I have chosen this specialty.

What can you see by shadowing our team?

Before your placement even starts, I will take you on a tour around our department. Afterwards, you will have the opportunity to participate in the measuring of dosages. You will also see tests that are conducted by radiological assistants in the patients’ wards. When a treatment will be performed using the 131I-MIBG , you will have the opportunity to see all the procedures and scans of the patient. During the week, I will explain to you the principle for calculation of a full dose. I will also tell you about the problematics of urination after the 131I-MIBG procedure. We will also go through some tests of the devices that are mainly used in the emergency part of the department. These tests are normally done only once a year. Another important procedure is the evaluation, which you will have the opportunity to do yourself. Nowadays, we do a study of dosimetry purposes during thyroid gland therapy. Of course, you will have the opportunity to participate, but you can also give us your input and ideas and make this study even better.

Apart from being a healthcare professional...

I do not have a lot of free time, but when I do, I play sports. I play volleyball, ride my bike, play golf, or skate. I also like going to a good restaurant and trying new meals. I frequently travel around the world, as well.

My motto…

There is no shame in failure; the shame is in lying for a long time.

Photo Jan Šibík

Bc. Jakub Suchánek

Radiology Assistant in Nuclear Medicine

Radiology Assistant


At the Department of Nuclear Medicine, I am in charge of patients as well as the gamma cameras. Work with the cameras is more relaxed, but they cannot surprise me like my patients often do with their stories. The patients are usually suffering from cancer, waiting for a lung transplant in the pulmonology department, or have been diagnosed with an embolism. We also provide kidney examinations to children, so you will meet patients with various diseases of all ages.

Why did I become a healthcare professional?

When I was younger, I was like a magnet for accidents, therefore I was in the hospital quite often. Although you might think that so many visits would have caused me to dislike the clinical environment, it was actually just the opposite. I started to love the hospital, the doctors, and everything related and decided to work in healthcare. After a medical Lyceum, I was to choose what path I would take afterwards. My choice could have been physiotherapy, nursing, paramedics, pharmacy, or medical school. I chose radiology, as it matches most of my interests. The combination of technology and medicine was perfect for me.

If you enjoy physics and technology, then nuclear medicine is the best choice for you.

What do I love the most about my specialty?

I am constantly meeting new people and moving around the workplace thanks, allowing me to easily avoid repetitive routines. I really enjoy nurse’s work, which includes taking and applying radiopharmaceuticals, inserting cannulas, or drug preparations. While working on the cameras, I enjoy the more relaxed time that I definitely do not have during applications, because you have to constantly run back and forth. To do the job you must be quite creative because sometimes it is necessary to examine patients in a very unusual position or you have to resolve unexpected technical problems.

What can you see by shadowing our team?

You will see a wide range of tests such as a whole body bone scintigraphy, dynamic renal scintigraphy, or even a brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). You can see the work in a laminar flow cabinet during the extraction and thinning of radiopharmaceuticals and their administration to patients for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. It is worth mentioning that there is also a chance to see cooperation between our center and Cardiology Specialized Center, for example when we perform stress myocardial SPECTs. We also cooperate with neurology, assisting with the examination of patients with intractable epilepsy. For singular examinations, you can also see the technical side, which in practice means the control of gamma cameras or the reconstruction of scanned data.

Apart from being a healthcare professional...

I play the guitar and bass guitar and I like going to concerts. My favorite activity is also cooking and juggling.

My motto…

„A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships were made for“.

Photogallery

LOVE WHAT YOU DO WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT