Nuclear medicine began to develop as a clinical specialty in the United States in the early 1940s and, after the Second World War, also in Europe. Czechoslovakia was one of the first European countries to embrace this modern trend. Radioisotope departments were established in Prague in the late 1940s and in Bratislava in 1952.
1954 – A Radioisotope Applications Unit was established at the Department of Radiology of the Faculty Hospital in Košice. Despite the difficult post-war conditions, this occurred only two years after the establishment of the first unit of this kind in Bratislava.
1961 – The unit was transformed into the Central Isotope Department, which at that time was the only facility of its kind in the East Slovak Region. Its first physician was Ivona Pokorná, MD, PhD.
1968 – An independent Department of Nuclear Medicine was established, with Ivona Pokorná, MD, PhD, appointed as its head physician. During her tenure, despite challenging conditions, the department was gradually equipped with high-quality instrumentation, including a gamma scanner and a gamma camera.
1987 – Associate Professor Jozef Zimáček, MD, PhD, became Head of the Department of Nuclear Medicine. At that time, the department was located in cramped basement premises in Pavilion XV of the Faculty Hospital and Policlinic on Rastislavova Street.
1989 – By this year, plans had been prepared and construction had begun on an oncology pavilion at the new hospital complex on Trieda SNP. The Department of Nuclear Medicine, including a proposed inpatient unit, was also intended to be relocated there. However, these plans were soon abandoned because of other healthcare priorities and a lack of financial resources.
1992 – The department became a teaching base for the Faculty of Medicine of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University. Following the merger of the departments of diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine, the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Radiology was established. Associate Professor Jozef Zimáček, MD, PhD, was appointed its Head; he was awarded the title of Professor in 2000.
1994 – A new SOPHA Bodytrac whole-body tomographic gamma camera for single-photon emission computed tomography, or SPECT, was installed, enabling further improvements in diagnostic procedures. However, the spatial arrangement of the department did not meet modern radiation protection and hygiene requirements.
1998 – The department was reorganised as the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. Associate Professor Tatiana Jurgová, MD, PhD, became Head of the Department. Nuclear medicine was taught by Professor Jozef Zimáček, MD, PhD, until 2007, and by Associate Professor Ján Lepej, MD, PhD, with an interruption from 1999. Members of the department authored and co-authored dozens of scientific publications, textbooks and monographs published both in Slovakia and abroad. The department regularly organised regional professional seminars and, in 1982 and 1995, hosted the Nuclear Medicine Days, the leading meeting of Czechoslovak nuclear medicine specialists.
2003–2004 – As part of the transformation of the Slovak healthcare system, the Department of Nuclear Medicine was separated from Louis Pasteur Faculty Hospital by a decision of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic and became part of the newly established East Slovak Institute of Oncology. In February 2004, Associate Professor Ján Lepej, MD, PhD, submitted a proposal to Minister of Health Rudolf Zajac, MD, for the establishment of a new independent institution and was entrusted with its professional and organisational preparation.
September 1, 2004 – By decision of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine was established as a highly specialised institution responsible for developing diagnostics using the most advanced medical imaging methods and nuclear medicine laboratory procedures, as well as for treating diseases using unsealed radioactive sources. Igor Marin, MD, was appointed Director. Associate Professor Ján Lepej, MD, PhD, became Deputy Director and professional guarantor of the institution. He also continued to provide nuclear medicine teaching within the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine.
July 1, 2006 – By decision of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, the nuclear medicine department in Banská Bystrica was incorporated into the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine in Košice.
2006–2011 – The premises underwent partial reconstruction, a third gamma camera was installed, and gradual changes were introduced in the organisation of work, the structure of services and the number of nuclear medicine examinations performed. The Institute participated in several research and grant-funded projects. Its lecture and publication activities increased considerably, including participation in international scientific events. Preparations for and construction of a new building also began during this period.
March 22, 2011 – The new building of the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine in Košice was officially opened. In May 2011, the inpatient department for the treatment of patients with iodine-131 commenced operation, and a new SPECT/CT system was installed at the beginning of 2012.
2012 – Milan Maďar, MD, MPH, was appointed Director by the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic. Older, depreciated detection equipment was gradually replaced, and the diagnostic section was expanded to include an endocrinology outpatient clinic and an ultrasonography clinic.
2013 – Thirteen years after the installation of the first PET scanner in Bratislava, positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography, or PET/CT, also became available in Košice. The installation of a state-of-the-art PET/CT scanner significantly improved access to oncological diagnostics in the region of eastern Slovakia.
December 16, 2014 – Milan Maďar, MD, MPH, left the Institute to take up the position of Director of the University Hospital in Košice. He was succeeded by Ing. Štefan Mikolaj, who had previously served as Head of Economics at the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine.
2015 – Following a change in the organisational structure, Igor Marin, MD, became the new Deputy Director for Medical Care. The satellite department in Banská Bystrica underwent structural renovation. From the academic year 2015/2016, nuclear medicine became an independent academic subject.
2016 – An independent Department of Nuclear Medicine was established jointly by the Faculty of Medicine of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University and the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine. Its objective was to create opportunities for the professional development of specialists and to improve cooperation between the Institute’s teaching base and the other departments of the Faculty of Medicine. Associate Professor Ján Lepej, MD, PhD, was appointed Head of the Department.
2017 – Ing. František Lešundák, was appointed Director by the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic. The installation of medical equipment at the Banská Bystrica department was completed.
Research
The Department of Nuclear Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, and the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine operates within its teaching base, the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine (INMM). The Institute meets all relevant EU criteria applicable to this type of facility and is equipped to a high European standard with modern imaging technology. It holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications and has successfully undergone regular audits for several years.
Together with its department in Banská Bystrica, the Institute performs more than 10,000 examinations annually. It offers the broadest range of nuclear medicine examinations of all nuclear medicine centres in Slovakia. The teaching base provides excellent facilities and equipment for presentations and education. In 2014, the Institute hosted participants of the European School of Nuclear Medicine (ESNM), receiving very positive feedback.
Awards and other significant achievements in the past year
In 2016, the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine was ranked first in the category of “Best-Rated Other Healthcare Facilities” in the 2015 patient satisfaction survey conducted by Dôvera Health Insurance Company.
