Although post-imaging use of cardiac catheterization and medical therapy increased in proportion to the degree of abnormality findings, noninvasive testing had only a modest impact on clinical management of patients referred for clinical testing, according to the SPARC trial published in the Jan. 31 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The team at Johns Hopkins In-Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center in Baltimore is using novel imaging tools to discover new early detection methods for cancers existing in cells, and study its prevention and elimination before spreading to other organs and tissues.
Two healthcare organizations in Grenoble, France, are using LabLogic’s Laura radio-chromatography system and instrumentation.
The FDA has granted clearances for GE Healthcare's Brivo NM615, a single-head nuclear medicine gamma camera with SPECT capability.
Total nuclear medicine procedures have been relatively flat, and trending slightly downward, from 2007 to 2010, according to a report from IMV Medical Information Division.
In patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), an impairment of adrenergic innervation independent of the underlying genotype is associated with a higher incidence for future recurrences of ventricular tachyarrhythmias, which “may suggest a potential role” of 123I-MIBG SPECT for individualized risk stratification in ARVC patients and asymptomatic PKP-2 mutation carriers alike, according to a study published in this month’s Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
Written by Kaitlyn Dmyterko
DENVER—With the “explosive growth” of cardiovascular imaging, the focus must now center on improving quality and reducing radiation exposure, and appropriate use criteria (AUC) can help, Robert C. Hendel, MD, director of cardiac imaging and outpatient services at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, said during a presentation Sept. 10 at the 16th annual American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) scientific sessions.
Written by Kaitlyn Dmyterko
DENVER—Myocardial perfusion SPECT should be limited to women with indeterminate or abnormal test results, Leslee J. Shaw, PhD, co-director of the clinical cardiovascular research institute at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, said during a presentation Sept. 11 at the 16th annual American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) scientific session. However, as Shaw reported the results of the WOMEN trial, she concluded that in the future, more of an emphasis should be placed on guiding and evaluating patients via the accepted best practice.
Written by Kaitlyn Dmyterko
DENVER—Incorporating coronary artery calcium screening (CAC) into practice can change the diagnoses and management of coronary artery disease (CAD), however, it may still be too early to tell how it will impact patient outcomes, Tim M. Bateman, MD, co-director of cardiovascular radiologic imaging at Mid America Heart Institute, Saint Luke's Health System in Kansas City, said during a presentation Sept. 11 at the 16th annual American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) scientific session.
Written by Kaitlyn Dmyterko
DENVER—When performing nuclear imaging studies, it is important to balance benefits against potential risks, however, it is most imperative to ensure that only appropriate patients are being imaged, George A. Beller, MD, a cardiologist at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, said during a presentation Sept. 10 at the 16th annual American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) scientific session.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that Cardinal Health’s purchase of nuclear pharmacies from Biotech was anticompetitive and will require the company to reconstitute and sell facilities located in Las Vegas, Albuquerque, N.M. and El Paso, Texas. The commission claimed Cardinal’s purchases reduced competition for low-energy radiopharmaceuticals in the three cities.
The U.S. market for SPECT and PET systems will increase nearly six-fold over the next seven years as new products are introduced to the market, according to a Bio-Tech Systems report.
In diabetic patients, fatty acid metabolism or perfusion mismatch obtained from dual SPECT using I-123 beta-methyl iodophenyl pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP)-TL, a medical isotope bound with an agent that is metabolized by the heart to image the fatty acid uptake of heart muscle cells, is a useful prognostic tool for adverse cardiac events, according to a study presented this week at the SNM’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
Monday, June 6 | 11:40 AM - 12:30 PM
Room 217A
The early measurement of coronary flow reserve (CRF) by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography can be of high value for the assessment of successful reperfusion in acute MI and can be used to predict left ventricular functional recovery, myocardial viability and the final infarct size, according to a study published online May 28 in Cardiovascular Ultrasound.
Flurpiridaz F 18 injection, a myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) PET agent, appears to be safe and superior to SPECT with respect to image quality, diagnostic certainty and sensitivity for detection of coronary artery disease (CAD), according to a Phase II late-breaking clinical trial presented May 17 at the International Conference of Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging (ICNC) in Amsterdam.
Written by C.P. Kaiser
While PET/CT is commonly and very successfully used for the staging and follow-up of cancers, researchers are seeking ways to make the modality more sensitive and specific by using targeted radiotracers and refining scanning techniques.
Written by Clint vanSonnenberg
Radiation was brought to the fore within pediatric nuclear medicine following the release of a 2008 study which revealed a chaotic disarray of administered doses within North America’s premier pediatric institutions, including radiopharmaceutical doses varying by factors of as much as 10 in most children and by up to 20 in infants (J Nucl Med 2008; 49:1024–1027).
Written by C.P. Kaiser
Last year, the SNM received a $48,000 grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to develop comparative-effectiveness research (CER) of PET and other molecular imaging techniques. The primary emphasis is on the diagnosis and management of cancer patients, but both cardiology and neurology questions are being addressed. Far beyond the dollars, too, is a significant increase in intellectual capital being expended across the globe on the role of CER in molecular imaging.
Myocardial perfusion SPECT with prone and half-time imaging, which nearly halves acquisition time, is feasible and associated with good image quality in most studies, according to research published in the May issue of Nuclear Medicine Communications.
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