The annual SNM meeting on June 5th in Salt Lake City is fast approaching. My preparations for the meeting will keep me busy for the next few weeks, but I will return to podcasting later in June.
Look for my SNM 2010 Review podcast to hear my reflections on the important news from this year’s event.
Thanks for listening.
-Peter
Dr. Faulhaber concludes his three-part series on non-oncologic brain imaging by discussing refractory seizures. He covers the techniques for evaluating intractable epilepsy, including the role of PET in brain surgery guidance. Dr. Faulhaber also discusses why interictal PET combined with ictal and interictal SPECT will have a better chance of finding an epileptogenic focus. He then discusses the importance of co-registering these scans with software and using subtraction techniques.
Dr. Faulhaber continues his three-part series on non-oncologic brain imaging by covering a wide range of dementia. He examines the challenge of diagnosing from a broad spectrum of symptomatic criteria and looks at the dangers of treating one type of dementia as if it were another. Dr. Faulhaber concludes by examining the promising new agents being used for dementia PET imaging, which offer hope for more accurate diagnoses.
Dr. Faulhaber begins a three-part series on non-oncologic brain imaging. He summarizes the CMS approval process, which has led to the evaluation of Alzheimer’s Dementia (AD) with PET. He also examines how imaging can help aid in the early diagnosis and in distinguishing between AD and mild cognitive impairment. Early detection and treatment to delay the onset of AD could potentially have a significant impact on the cost of care, which is currently estimated at 150 billion dollars.
Dr. Faulhaber concludes his four-part series for clinical staff by looking at the challenges of radiation therapy. He emphasizes the extreme importance of clear communication among the various clinical teams in understanding the plan and possible treatment protocols. For example, using a flat versus a curved table can have a significant impact on the success of the radiation therapy. Dr. Faulhaber also examines the various methods of drawing PET tumor volumes, including constant threshold edge detection and the more accurate gradient edge detection.
Dr. Faulhaber continues his four-part series for the nurses, technologists, and physicians directly taking care of the patient. He describes the patient’s physiologic parameters that affect what lesions and tumors can and cannot be seen. He also discusses the value of respiratory gating to overcome blurring and the difficulties of minimizing errors when evaluating SUVs.
Dr. Faulhaber continues his four-part series for the nurses, technologists, and physicians directly taking care of the patient. He describes many of the terms, mechanical functions, and time requirements involved in using a PET/CT scanner. Dr. Faulhaber also covers the potential exposure of patients and clinical staff to radiological dose.
Dr. Faulhaber begins a four-part series for the entire clinical staff–the nurses, technologists, and physicians directly taking care of the patient. Having some PET background is important, because the patient today is likely to be more sophisticated and educated about treatment and terminology. Dr. Faulhaber begins with an explanation of PET scanners and positron emitters.
