Dear Molecular Imaging Insider,
Nuclear medicine facilities have become accustomed to honing their improvisational skills to deal with shortages in their daily practice. The most current challenge involves the drug aminophylline, which is used in patients who have adverse reactions to regadenoson while undergoing pharmacological PET or SPECT stress tests.
Aminophylline is manufactured by Pfizer, which expects the drug to remain in short supply for at least two more months. In the meantime, nuclear technologists are handling the situation with their usual expertise. More details on the shortage and information on aminophylline alternatives are available in this Molecular Imaging Insider Exclusive.
Speaking of shortages, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency recently ordered a review of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization and its Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) nuclear reactor, which manufactures molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). Read how Australian authorities have been importing supplies of Mo-99, a precursor to technetium-99m, from the U.S. so nuclear medicine procedures could proceed on the continent.
Also in the news is a study by Dutch researchers who found that PET scans with the radiotracer F-18 fluorothymidine (FLT) can help determine which glioblastoma patients have the best chance for longer survival. There is, however, one caveat when it comes to "pseudoprogression" and true progression of disease.
Meanwhile, U.S. researchers have found that changes in PET scans of military personnel with mild traumatic brain injury are similar to those seen in retired football players with suspected chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Their use of PET with the tracer FDDNP, which binds to tau and amyloid, is the key to the discovery.
Researchers from Yale University also are reporting promising results with a PET tracer designed to assess synaptic density in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The hope is that the approach could become an in vivo biomarker for dementia and help in therapy development.
Finally, hormonal changes caused by a woman's menstrual cycle may put them at higher risk of developing cancer from exposure to medical radiation. Researchers from Stony Brook University suggest that healthcare providers consider menstrual phase when deciding when to perform studies -- particularly nuclear medicine exams -- in younger women.
Be sure to stay in touch with the Molecular Imaging Community on a daily basis for the latest news and research from around the world.
