Session 1: SPECT-CT & PET: Principles and Utilities 2019

Session 1: SPECT-CT & PET: Principles and Utilities

This session in our series "Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Update" will cover the following objectives:

1. SPECT-CT and Clinical Utilities
2. Positron Emission Tomography: A Review
3. FDG-PET/CT Cases

Purpose Statement:

Nuclear medicine and molecular imaging have been utilized for over sixty years in approximately 350 million procedures throughout the United States. As radiopharmaceuticals, administering equipment, imaging tools and procedures evovle, it is necessary to educate phsicians and technologists as to the optimal practices within this specialty. The goal of the Mid-Eastern Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging is to enhance patient care and facilitate medical research in the use of medical radionuclides. For the past forty five years, the Chapter has met every Spring to present nuclear medicine's latest and most impactful advances, controversies and procedures. Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Update was desgined to bring the benefit of this meeting to the distance learning audience. A dozen faculty members discuss a wide range of topics demonstrating the specialty's impact on imaging, cardiology, oncology, neurology, pediatrics and much more. Concerns regarding radiation dose and related risks will be analyzed as well. This activity will allow nuclear medicine physicians and technologists to stay current with this constantly developing medical discipline.

Target Audience:

This activity is designed for nuclear medicine physicians, technologists, radiologists, neurologists, oncologists, cardiologists and other medical professionals who use radionuclides in the care of patients.

Educational Objectives:

Following this continuing medical education activity, the participant should be able to:

1. Describe the added value of SPECT-CT in different clinical indications.
2. Improve interpretations of FDG-PET studies.
3. Determine the most appropriate radionuclide test and protocol for a variety of anatomic areas.
4. Discuss how radionuclide imaging of the cardiovascular system compares with alternative imaging techniques, such as cardiac MRI and echocardiography.
5. Understand radiation exposure levels from nuclear medicine procedures in comparison to radiologic procedures and other sources of exposure.