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Quality assurance (QA) is a crucial part of all aspects of nuclear medicine practice. The objective of this publication is to provide professionals in nuclear medicine centers with detailed quality control test procedures for the scintillation camera and computer system. Three types of quality tests are described in detail: acceptance, reference and routine tests for the scintillation camera, both in single and multiple head configurations, for obtaining images and quantitative data in planar imaging mode; whole body imaging mode; and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The publication is primarily intended to be of use to medical physicists, technologists, and other healthcare professionals who are responsible for ensuring optimal performance of imaging instruments, particularly SPECT systems. It may also be useful to managers, clinicians, and other decision-makers who are responsible for implementing quality assurance and quality control programs in nuclear medicine c
Medical imaging is crucial in a variety of medical settings and at all levels of health care. In public health and preventive medicine as well as in both curative and palliative care, effective decisions depend on correct diagnoses. This edition addresses the most current needs and offers guidance on clinical practice, radiation safety and patient protection, human resource development and training required for the overall practice of nuclear medicine.
This publication provides guidelines for the implementation of quality assurance and control programs concerning the combined medical diagnostic modality of positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT). These independent, but complementary, imaging techniques are in frequent and increasing use within the fields of diagnostic imaging, oncology, cardiology and neurology, where they allow physicians to locate and diagnose malignant diseases accurately. This publication establishes guidelines for acceptance testing and routine quality control as necessary for optimal clinical performance. Specific topics of discussion include frameworks for reference values, tolerances and action levels, minimal required configurations with corresponding performances characteristics, and the management of ancillary equipment.
The use of PET (positron emission tomography) has become the standard quality of care for optimal management of patients with cancer. The availability of the hybrid PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) scanner has further improved the utility of PET scanning and provides additional benefits to both patients and to the health system. This publication addresses the important issue of appropriateness of the application of PET/CT procedures in different clinical scenarios of many cancers. It is a useful resource for specialists in nuclear medicine and oncology, and aims to make reliable information widely available to those Member States where PET programmes are still in their planning phase or where the use of PET scanning is limited.
Nuclear cardiology is one of the most widely used non-invasive techniques for the assessment of coronary artery disease and other cardiovascular conditions. It has proved to be a cost effective tool for the evaluation and management of cardiac patients and usually has a decisive role for diagnosis, prognosis and risk stratification. In particular, radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is used extensively worldwide for the evaluation of known or suspected coronary artery disease, with an estimated 15-20 million procedures performed annually. This publication provides a detailed analysis of all the steps involved in the delivery of nuclear cardiology services, from referrals to reporting, and is intended to serve as guidance for the implementation, homogenization and enhancement of MPI practice in those Member States where the technique is under development.
This publication is intended to support those working in the field of diagnostic radiology dosimetry, both in standards laboratories involved in the calibration of dosimeters and those in clinical centres and hospitals where patient dosimetry and quality assurance measurements are of vital concern. This code of practice covers diverse dosimetric situations corresponding to the range of examinations found clinically, and includes guidance on dosimetry for general radiography, fluoroscopy, mammography, computed tomography and dental radiography. The material is presented in a practical way with guidance worksheets and examples of calculations. A set of appendices is also included with background and detailed discussion of important aspects of diagnostic radiology dosimetry.
SPECT/CT Atlas of Quality Control and Image Artefacts
This publication is aimed at students and teachers involved in programmes that train medical physicists for work in diagnostic radiology. It provides a comprehensive overview of the basic medical physics knowledge required in the form of a syllabus for the practice of modern diagnostic radiology. This makes it particularly useful for graduate students and residents in medical physics programmes. The material presented in the publication has been endorsed by the major international organizations and is the foundation for academic and clinical courses in both diagnostic radiology physics and in emerging areas such as imaging in radiotherapy.
This publication presents a harmonized approach to quality assurance in the field of computed tomography applied to both diagnostics and therapy. It gives a careful analysis of the principles and specific instructions that can be used for a quality assurance programme for optimal performance and reduced patient dose in diagnostic radiology. In some cases, radiotherapy programmes are making a transition from 2-D to 3-D radiotherapy, a complex process which critically depends on accurate treatment planning. In this respect, the authors also provide detailed information about the elements needed for quality assurance testing, including those relating to accurate patient characterization as needed for radiotherapy treatment planning.
Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), as any other imaging modality, is acceptable for routine clinical and research applications only if technical pitfalls can be avoided. Artefacts from incorrect or sub-optimal acquisition procedures should be recognized and, if possible, corrected retrospectively and the resulting image information interpreted correctly, which entails an appreciation of variants of the represented image information. This publication provides guidance on the physics and technical aspects behind PET and PET/CT image distortions. Cases are presented to provide nuclear medicine and radiology professionals with an assortment of examples of possible image distortions and errors in order to support a correct image interpretation. Nearly 70 typical PET and PET/CT cases, comprising image sets and cases, have been collected in this volume, all catalogued and augmented with explanations as to the causes of, and solutions to, each individual image problem. The atlas will prove useful to physicists, physicians, technologists, and service engineers in the clinical field.