EDMONTON — Alberta Health Services’ cyclotron was operating at full capacity Friday, after a mechanical issue shut down the machine at the end of September.
PET/CT scanners need a material called fluorodeoxyglucose. The material is produced in Edmonton in a large machine called a cyclotron, which broke down Sept. 28 and then again Oct. 14.
READ MORE: ‘We know this is causing stress’ – AHS announces PET/CT scan delays
AHS has started rescheduling 65 patients who were waiting for new appointments and booking about 300 patients waiting for their first appointments. The appointments will be made based on urgency.
AHS said it will clear the backlog of appointments in three to four weeks by offering additional scans each day and on weekends.
During the shut down, AHS said urgent scans continued, with about 70 per cent of scans being completed using material sourced from other provinces.
Officials are also working with Alberta Health to come up with plans to prevent fluorodeoxyglucose shortages in the future.
PET/CT scans offer images of cell function in the body and are used to diagnose many types and stages of cancer, epilepsy and dementia.
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