Nuclear medicine communications
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To extract accurate image-derived input functions from dynamic brain positron emission tomography images (DBPIs) using independent component analysis (ICA). ⋯ We have proposed a technique for estimating image-derived input functions using independent component analysis without blood sampling. The results of our method were highly correlated with those from standard blood sampling, and more accurate than those of other methods proposed previously.
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Errors in medicine are being increasingly highlighted. There is potential for harm in nuclear medicine. ⋯ Nuclear medicine maladministrations in New South Wales are uncommon, with approximately 8-9 incidents per 100 000 procedures. Most maladministrations are the consequence of incorrect radiopharmaceutical dispensing. All those which involved diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals resulted in no immediate adverse effects from the radiation exposure.
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Accurate diagnosis and staging in oncology is essential in the evaluation of cancer for optimal patient outcome. Conventional imaging techniques, such as computed tomography (CT), rely basically on morphological changes for tumour detection. Clinical experience, however, shows that morphological criteria may be misleading and may not always allow differentiation between benign and malignant lesions. ⋯ In addition, because of the utilization of the CT transmission information for the correction of the attenuation of the PET emission data (and for the reconstruction of the PET images), some artifacts may be generated. As a consequence, CT based attenuation correction of PET images may result in erroneous PET/CT interpretations. The aim of this extensively illustrated paper is to demonstrate several potential pitfalls encountered during the interpretation of PET/CT images so that radiologists can avoid false positive diagnoses and recognize inherently non-specific findings on PET/CT images obtained for oncological diagnosis.
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To evaluate the prevalence and scan interpretation criteria useful in identifying non-tumoural F-FDG focal uptakes (potential pitfalls) in patients who had been previously treated for a malignant lymphoma studied by positron emission tomography (PET). ⋯ In the whole series of patients with treated malignant lymphoma, the prevalence of non-tumoural FDG focal uptake during follow-up was relatively low (3.1%); conversely, it was relatively high when considering the sub-group of 'positive' PET only (23.1%). The importance of knowing these situations in order to avoid misinterpretation in reading PET scans needs to be emphasized. In this light, an accurate patient's history and a skilful nuclear medicine physician are very important factors. For the same purpose, it is reasonable to think that the use of hybrid PET/CT tomographs could also play an important role in helping to identify non-tumoural FDG focal uptake.