The First 5 Years of a Dedicated Clinical PET Centre.
The development of the first dedicated clinical PET Centre in the United Kingdom began in 1990 at Guy's & St Thomas' Hospitals in central London and opened in May 1992. The project was a joint venture between the two hospitals and their United Medical and Dental Schools (UMDS), the capital funding being raised by a public appeal. The Centre comprises a radiotracer production facility and scanning suite on the St Thomas' site and an additional scanning suite at Guy's Hospital. This paper charts the development of the Centre and the first 5 years of operation, leading up to a financial break-even point and a patient throughput in excess of 4,000.