A Neck-Thyroid Phantom with Small Sizes of Thyroid Remnants for Postsurgical I-123 and I-131 SPECT/CT Imaging.

Post-surgical I-123 and I-131 SPECT/CT imaging can provide information on the presence and sizes of thyroid remnants and/or metastasis for an accurate re-staging of disease to apply an individualized radioiodine therapy. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a neck-thyroid phantom with small sizes of thyroid remnants to be utilized for the optimization of post-surgical SPECT/CT imaging. 3D printing and molding techniques were used to develop the hollow human-shaped and -sized phantom which enclosed the trachea, esophagus, cervical spine, clavicle, and multiple detachable sections with different sizes of thyroid remnant in clinically relevant positions.

The ultrasonographic measurement of muscle thickness in sarcopenia. A prediction study.

Background: Sarcopenia is a common disease in the elderly. Although extensive research has been conducted on muscle mass and quality assessment tools, there are still certain drawbacks preventing their universal use.

Aim: The aim of this study was the evaluation of the thickness of head, neck, upper and lower limb muscles measured with ultrasonography, as a potential predictory tool in sarcopenia.

Patient Radiation Doses in Therapeutic Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in Patras and the Key Role of the Operator.

The patient radiation doses, in conjunction with the operator experience, in therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures, performed in our hospital, were obtained. Ninety-six patients participated in the study and were divided into 3 groups, based on the operator experience. The dosemetric indices, fluoroscopy time (FT), cumulative dose (Ka,r) and air kerma-area product (PKA), were collected.

OPTIMISATION OF PATIENT DOSE AND IMAGE QUALITY IN ENDOSCOPIC RETROGRADE CHOLANGIOPANCREATOGRAPHY: A PHANTOM-BASED EVALUATION.

A phantom-based study is presented aiming to optimise patient dose and image quality (IQ) in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography procedures, utilising a fluoroscopy system equipped with a flat panel detector. The patient thickness was simulated with various polymethyl methacrylate slabs, whilst IQ was evaluated using the Leeds test object. The main factors evaluated were phantom thickness, distance between phantom and detector, field of view and pulse rate.

PATIENT DOSE DURING THERAPEUTIC ENDOSCOPIC RETROGRADE CHOLANGIOPANCREATOGRAPHY PROCEDURE.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a standard technique for the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the pancreas or bile ducts. The aim of this study was the measurement of the radiation dose to patients during therapeutic ERCP procedures, in order to estimate the patient effective dose (ED). Fifteen patients were studied using a fluoroscopy system equipped with automatic brightness control and pulse fluoroscopy mode.