The risk of carcinoma in insubstantial thyroid nodules range from 1.5 to 10% (Burguera & Hossein, 2000)
It is actually a functional imaging method that depends on in vivo visualization of lesional glucose metabolism. Malignat and inflammatory lesions indicate elevated rates of glycolysis and glucose uptake (Fischman, 1993)
One of the glucose transport proteins, GLUT 1 has been found to be exhibited at high levels in a selection of cancers. By immunostaining, GLUT 1 expression was often visible in differentiated and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, save for benign nodules or normal thyroid (Haber et al
, 1997). Conclusion A conclusion has been reached by a number of authors that high FDG uptake in a thyroid tumor pointed to malignancy albeit low levels could not totally rule out malignancy (Sasaki et al
In the last patient, FNAC disclosed a follicular lesion, but no surgery has been carried out so far. Summarily, a small series of successive thyroid FDG-PET incidentaloma cases is obtainable and suggests a high rate of clinically relevant malignancies (Wang, et al
In the 36 subjects having dispersed thyroidal FDG uptake in that study, it was credited to chronic thyroiditis. In fact, it was established by pathology in 2 subjects; in the rest, clinical follow-up indicated steady size of thyroid and in the majority antithyroid antibodies were positive (Yasuda et al
These campaigns appear to be having a beneficial effect. When pediatric radiologists were surveyed in 2001 and again in 2006, there was a dramatic reduction in the amount of radiation children were being exposed to during CT scans (Arch and Frush, 2008)
For example, the maximum exposure received by a level II trauma patient during the year and a half study in Rochester, Minnesota was 54.75 mSv (Laack et al
A recent study examined the yearly use of CT scans for children visiting hospital emergency departments and found an average increase of 12.8% for each year between 1995 and 2008 (Larson et al
S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted all healthcare facilities involved in performing brain perfusion computed tomography (CT) to ensure their patients were not being overexposed to ionizing radiation (Samson, 2009)
Nuclear medicine is not only used for during PET/CT procedures it is also used as a tool by psychiatrists to learn about the biological aspects of their patient's actions. A recent study showed that "brain SPECT helps us gain a deeper understanding of the biological underpinnings of our patient's problems and then helps us formulate the biological part of our patient's treatment plans" (Amen, 2009, p
672). Additional studies have determined that once the machine has been accepted it will need to continue to be tested for safety and performance "with simple quality control procedures that are sensitive to changes in performance" (Busemann-Sokole, Plachinska, Britten, Lyra, Tindale, Klett, 2010, p
672). Additional studies have determined that once the machine has been accepted it will need to continue to be tested for safety and performance "with simple quality control procedures that are sensitive to changes in performance" (Busemann-Sokole, Plachinska, Britten, Lyra, Tindale, Klett, 2010, p
This study may not look at the economic or technical aspects that these countries are facing, but certainly it will provide a bird's eye view of the psychological hurdles that nuclear medicine faces in some arenas. Many people know and understand that "prompt airway management after chemical, biological radiation or nuclear (CBRN) incidents is crucial for patient survival" (Castle, 2010, p
The importance of the study can be linked to the fact that (as stated above) thousands of individuals submit their bodies to medical techniques that employ nuclear technology each and every day around the world, and that situation will only grow throughout the future as more and more technology becomes available in further reaches around the globe. One recent study conducted on members of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and the European Society of Radiology (ESR) discerned that "the majority of the members of both societies believe that the proportion of PET/CT conducted as a full diagnostic CT with contrast enhancement will increase over time" (Cuocolo, Breatnach, 2010, p
34). What is true irony however is the fact that over the last several years "talk of a nuclear renaissance has become increasingly common in popular discussion" (Kidd, 2010, p
However, that scenario is rapidly changing. One report shows that "the integration of nuclear medicine in central and eastern European countries with that in the rest of Europe faces many economic, technical and psychological hurdles, although some countries (eg Slovenia) have largely overcome these difficulties" (Lass, 2005, p
Nuclear Medicine The recent nuclear crisis suffered by Japan seems to justify the fear-mongering much of the mainstream media engages in regarding the use of nuclear energy. Yet, many experts know that "nuclear imaging is used on tens of thousands of patients every day to take pictures of their hearts, lungs, kidneys, bones, brains and other organs" (Walters, 2009, p
According to a biographical news article "while visiting Ernest at Berkeley. John treated leukemic mice with radioactive phosphorus, which Ernest had produced in his cyclotron" (Wilson, 2006, p