Breast Imaging Utilizing Dedicated Gamma Camera and 99mTc-MIBI: Experience at the Tel Aviv Medical Center and Review of the Literature Breast Imaging
The scope of the current article is the clinical role of gamma cameras dedicated for breast imaging and 99mTc-MIBI tumor-seeking tracer, as both a screening modality among a healthy population and as a diagnostic modality in patients with breast cancer. Such cameras are now commercially available. The technology utilizing a camera composed of a NaI (Tl) detector is termed breast-specific gamma imaging. The technology of dual-headed camera composed of semiconductor cadmium zinc telluride detectors that directly converts gamma-ray energy into electronic signals is termed molecular breast imaging. (Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine)
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - May 27, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Einat Even-Sapir, Orit Golan, Tehillah Menes, Yuliana Weinstein, Hedva Lerman Source Type: research
Novel Cadmium Zinc Telluride Devices for Myocardial Perfusion Imaging—Technological Aspects and Clinical Applications
Myocardial perfusion imaging plays an important role in the assessment of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease and is well established for diagnosis and for prognostic evaluation in these patients. The dedicated cardiac SPECT cameras with solid-state cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors were first introduced a decade ago. A large body of evidence is building up, showing the superiority of the new technology compared with conventional gamma cameras. Not only the CZT detectors, but also new collimator geometries, the ability to perform focused imaging optimized for the heart and advances in data process...
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - May 27, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Simona Ben-Haim, John Kennedy, Zohar Keidar Source Type: research
SPECT-PET in Epilepsy and Clinical Approach in Evaluation
In epilepsy, a detailed history, blood chemistry, routine electroencephalography, and brain MRI are important for the diagnosis of seizure type or epilepsy syndrome for the decision of appropriate drug treatment. Although antiepileptic drugs are mostly successful for controlling epileptic seizures, 20%-30% patients are resistant to medical treatment and continue to have seizures. In this intractable patient group, surgical resection is the primarily preferred treatment option. This particular group of patients should be referred to the epilepsy center for detailed investigation and further treatment. (Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine)
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - May 27, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Eser Lay Ergün, Serap Saygi, Dilek Yalnizoglu, Kader Karli Oguz, Belkis Erbas Source Type: research
Nuclear Medicine in Pediatric and Adolescent Tumors
Nuclear medicine has an important role in the management of many cancers in pediatric age group with multiple imaging modalities and radiopharmaceuticals targeting various biological uptake mechanisms. 18-Flourodeoxyglucose is the radiotracer of choice especially in patients with sarcoma and lymphoma. 18FDG-PET, for sarcoma and lymphomas, is proved to be superior to conventional imaging in staging and therapy response. Although studies are limited in pediatric population, 18FDG-PET/CT has found its way through international guidelines. (Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine)
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - May 27, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Pınar Özgen Kiratli, Murat Tuncel, Zvi Bar-Sever Source Type: research
Current Status of Nuclear Medicine Practice in the Middle East
The practice of nuclear medicine (NM) in the Middle East region has experienced an important growth in the last 2 decades and has become crucial in providing healthcare to the region’s population of about 395 million people. Even though there are some countries in which the services provided are limited to basic coverage of studies with 99mTc and 131I, most have well-established practices covering most of the available studies in this medical specialty; this is the case in for example, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. (Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine)
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - May 27, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Diana Paez, Tarik Becic, Uday Bhonsle, Amir R. Jalilian, Rodolfo Nuñez-Miller, Joao Alberto Osso Source Type: research
Production and Clinical Applications of Radiopharmaceuticals and Medical Radioisotopes in Iran
During past 3 decades, nuclear medicine has flourished as vibrant and independent medical specialty in Iran. Since that time, more than 200 nuclear physicians have been trained and now practicing in nearly 158 centers throughout the country. In the same period, Tc-99m generators and variety of cold kits for conventional nuclear medicine were locally produced for the first time. Local production has continued to mature in robust manner while fulfilling international standards. To meet the ever-growing demand at the national level and with international achievements in mind, work for production of other Tc-99m-based peptides...
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - May 27, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Amir Reza Jalilian, Davood Beiki, Arman Hassanzadeh-Rad, Arash Eftekhari, Parham Geramifar, Mohammad Eftekhari Source Type: research
Structure and Activities of Nuclear Medicine in Kuwait
The practice of nuclear medicine in Kuwait began in 1965 as a clinic for treating thyroid diseases. The practice developed gradually and until 1981 when the Faculty of Medicine established the Division of Nuclear Medicine in the Department of Radiology, which later became a separate department responsible for establishing and managing the practice in all hospitals of Kuwait. In 1987, a nuclear medicine residency program was begun and it is administered by Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations originally as a 4-year but currently as a 5-year program. (Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine)
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - May 27, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Abdelhamid H. Elgazzar, Azuwuike Owunwanne, Saud Alenezi Source Type: research
Intra-Arterial Radionuclide Therapies for Liver Tumors
Intra-arterial radionuclide therapies serve essentially as internal radiation treatment options for both primary and metastatic liver tumors, which imply delivering implantable radioactive microspheres into branches of hepatic arteries that feed liver tumors to provide a high dose of targeted radiation to tumor tissue, while sparing the healthy liver tissue from hazardous effects of radiation. The principle of this therapeutic option depends on the unique preferential arterial supply of malignant liver tumors in contrast with mostly portal venous supply of normal hepatocytes as well as excess amount of arterial neovascular...
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - May 27, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Murat Fani Bozkurt, Bilge Volkan Salanci, Ömer Uğur Source Type: research
Letter From the Guest Editors
This issue of Seminars in Nuclear Medicine is different! Articles in the current table of contents discuss a different topic, unrelated to a specific clinical entity or subspecialty of nuclear medicine. This journal is dedicated to the status of our profession in the region of the Middle East in a, in our opinion, successful attempt to show that medicine and science can thrive and be successful, sometimes against many odds. Geographic boundaries can be surpassed. The first article, prepared by D. (Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine)
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - May 27, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Ora Israel, Belkis Erbas Source Type: research
Letter From the Editors
It has become impossible to pick up a newspaper and read the content without encountering one or more articles about conflict in the Middle East. All of the news media in the United States and Europe focus on the negative aspects of society in this geographic area. The accomplishments of individuals whose goal in life is to contribute to society and advance scientific knowledge or medicine are usually overlooked. As a result, many people’s attitude toward the Middle East has become very negative, thinking of this area solely as a place to avoid. (Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine)
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - May 27, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Leonard M. Freeman, M. Donald Blaufox Source Type: research
Radiolabeled Somatostatin Analogue Therapy Of Gastroenteropancreatic Cancer
Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) has been utilized for more than two decades and has been accepted as an effective therapeutic modality in the treatment of inoperable or metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) or neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). The two most commonly used radiopeptides for PRRT, 90Y-octreotide and 177Lu-octreotate, produce disease-control rates of 68%-94%, with progression-free survival rates that compare favorably with chemotherapy, somatostatin analogues, and newer targeted therapies. (Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine)
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - April 9, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Lisa Bodei, Dik J. Kwekkeboom, Mark Kidd, Irvin M. Modlin, Eric P. Krenning Source Type: research
Somatostatin Analog Therapy in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Chemotherapy represents the cornerstone of treatment for patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC); however, standard therapy has reached a plateau in improving patient survival with overall disappointing results. The demonstration that SCLC expresses neuroendocrine markers, such as somatostatin (SST) receptors, has led to use SST analogs or radiolabeled SST analogs in the treatment of SCLC patients. In the current review, we would focus on the possible role of SST analogs in SCLC. (Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine)
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - April 9, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Alfredo Tartarone, Rosa Lerose, Michele Aieta Source Type: research
Targeted Radionuclide Therapy of Melanoma
An estimated 60,000 individuals in the United States and 132,000 worldwide are yearly diagnosed with melanoma. Until recently, treatment options for patients with stages III-IV metastatic disease were limited and offered marginal, if any, improvement in overall survival. The situation changed with the introduction of B-RAF inhibitors and anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 and anti-programmed cell death protein 1 immunotherapies into the clinical practice. With only some patients responding well to the immune therapies and with very serious side effects and high costs of immunotherapy, there is still room for other appro...
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - April 9, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Abdullah Norain, Ekaterina Dadachova Source Type: research
Targeted Radiolabeled Compounds in Glioma Therapy
Malignant gliomas of World Health Organization (WHO) grades II-IV represent the largest entity within the group of intrinsic brain tumors and are graded according to their pathophysiological features with survival times between more than 10 years (WHO II) and only several months (WHO IV). Gliomas arise from astrocytic or oligodendrocytic precursor cells and exhibit an infiltrative growth pattern lacking a clearly identifiable tumor border. The development of effective treatment strategies of the invasive tumor cell front represents the main challenge in glioma therapy. (Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine)
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - April 9, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Dominik Cordier, Leszek Krolicki, Alfred Morgenstern, Adrian Merlo Source Type: research
Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) of Medullary and Nonmedullary Thyroid Cancer Using Radiolabeled Somatostatin Analogues
As therapeutic options in advanced medullary and non–iodine avid differentiated (nonmedullary) thyroid cancers are limited and associated with significant toxicity, targeting of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) for internal radiation therapy provides a promising option. Theranostics (therapy and diagnosis) using radiolabeled somatostatin analogues has proved to be a milestone in the management of SSTR-expressing tumors. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy using 177Lu-labeled or 90Y-labeled somatostatin analogues may have a significant role in the management of medullary and nonmedullary thyroid cancers in those patients ...
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - April 9, 2016 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Ali Salavati, Ameya Puranik, Harshad R. Kulkarni, Hendra Budiawan, Richard P. Baum Source Type: research
