Miscalculated Lung Shunt Fraction for Planning of Hepatic Radioembolization.

Y radioembolization is a safe and efficacious treatment option for many patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Potential candidates for radioembolization, based on clinical criteria, undergo Tc-labeled macroaggregated albumin imaging to determine the extent of hepatopulmonary shunting. Dose selection is based on results from shunt imaging and can exclude patients from radioembolization therapy.

Daily Caffeine Consumption Is Associated with Decreased Incidence of Symptoms and Hemodynamic Changes During Pharmacologic Stress with Regadenoson.

Regadenoson is an adenosine A receptor agonist widely used as a pharmacologic stress agent for myocardial perfusion imaging. Approximately 3.4 million regadenoson pharmacologic stress tests were performed annually as of 2011.

Impact of Reimbursement Cuts on the Sustainability and Accessibility of Dopamine Transporter Imaging.

Purpose: Dopamine transporter single-photon emission computed tomography imaging utilizing iodine-123 ioflupane is accurate for differentiation of Parkinson disease from essential tremor. This study evaluates how reimbursement for I-123 ioflupane imaging changed between 2011 (year of FDA approval) and 2014 (year after loss of pass-through status for hospital-based outpatient imaging from CMS).

Methods: I-123 ioflupane reimbursement data for our institution's hospital-based imaging were compared between two periods: (1) July 2011 to October 2012, and (2) 2014.

The semicolon sign: dopamine transporter imaging artifact from head tilt.

Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging is a valuable tool to aid in the diagnosis of Parkinson disease and other Parkinsonian syndromes. DAT imaging is special among clinical nuclear medicine scans in that the already small caudate and putamen are presented in multiple thin axial cuts. Because the imaged basal ganglia are small, slight differences in head tilt may result in a significant artifact that we have termed the semicolon sign.