Nuclear Medicine Technology

Objectives

The objectives for this program of study are divided into two general categories:

• educational objectives;
• content objectives.

Educational Objectives

The following objectives relate to the skills and attitudes you should strive to enhance in order to refine your life-long learning abilities:

1. Given a selection of readings and references, the student will be able to review the content and judge the relevance of the material to the subject / topic being studied.
2. Given a selection of readings and references, the student will be able to organize and summarize complex materials in a logical, manageable way that will make it more easily understood by themselves and their colleagues.
3. Given adequate time to prepare, the student will be able to discuss and respond to questions on a given topic.
4. Given a list of recommendations, the student will be able to access relevant materials on the Internet for the purposes of information retrieval.
5. Given a list of recommendations, the student will be able to access relevant materials from professional journals and textbooks for the purposes of information retrieval.
6. Given the task of researching or evaluating a complex topic, the student will recognize when they have significantly slowed or stopped making meaningful progress and will seek assistance from the appropriate persons.

Content Objectives

The objectives listed below provide guidance to the knowledge and skills you should acquire to gain an entry level mastery of the content related to Nuclear Medicine Imaging and Function Studies of the Gastrointestinal System.

Gastrointestinal Bleeding Detection and Localization

Upon completion of this section, the student will be able to:

1. Outline the more common pathologies that may give rise to gastrointestinal bleeding and identify the more common sites of bleeding.
2. Explain the principles of identification and localization of gastrointestinal bleeding using both Tc-99m sulfur colloid and Tc-99m red blood cells.
3. State the rationale behind using each of the above radiopharmaceuticals and provide the range of doses used for each.
4. List the more common indications and presentations for this study.
5. List the equipment required for each procedure and explain the purpose of each component.
6. Outline the image acquisition parameters used for each radiopharmaceutical and explain the rationale for them.
7. Outline the criteria for interpreting positive gastrointestinal bleeding for each radiopharmaceutical.
8. Explain the more common causes of false positive and false negative results for both radiopharmaceuticals.
9. List the more common technical difficulties and artifacts encountered with gastrointestinal bleeding procedures and explain how best to deal with each.
10. Briefly outline the other modalities that may be used to determine the same or similar information.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Imaging

Upon completion of this section, the student will be able to:

1. Outline the more common pathologies encountered in inflammatory bowel disease.
2. Explain the principles of identification and localization of inflammatory bowel disease using both Ga-67 citrate and Tc-99m leukocytes (WBCs).
3. Briefly outline the method employed to label leukocytes (WBCs).
4. State the rationale behind using each of the above radiopharmaceuticals and provide the range of doses used for each.
5. List the more common indications and presentations for inflammatory bowel disease imaging.
6. Outline and explain the rationale for the patient preparation required for each procedure.
7. List the equipment required for each procedure and explain the purpose of each component.
8. Outline the image acquisition parameters used for each radiopharmaceutical and explain the rationale for them.
9. Outline the criteria for interpreting positive inflammatory disease studies for each radiopharmaceutical.
10. Explain the more common causes of false positive and false negative results for both radiopharmaceuticals.
11. List the more common technical difficulties and artifacts encountered with inflammatory bowel disease procedures and explain how to deal with each.
12. Briefly outline the other modalities that may be used to determine the same or similar information.

Ectopic Gastric Mucosa Imaging

Upon completion of this section, the student will be able to:

1. Describe the embryonic origin and characteristics of a Meckel's Diverticulum and list the types of ectopic mucosa that may be present in them.
2. Explain the principle of identification and localization of a Meckel's Diverticulum using Tc-99m pertechnetate.
3. State the dose range of Tc-99m pertechnetate used.
4. List the more common indications and presentations for ectopic gastric mucosa imaging.
5. Outline and explain the rationale for the patient preparation requirements.
6. List the equipment required for the procedure and explain the purpose of each component.
7. Outline the image acquisition parameters used for the procedure and explain the rationale for them.
8. Outline the criteria for interpreting a positive Meckel's Diverticulum study.
9. List the more common causes of false positive and false negative results and explain how they occur.
10. List the more common technical difficulties and artifacts encountered with ectopic gastric mucosa imaging and explain how to best deal with each.
11. Briefly outline the other modalities that may be used to determine the same or similar information.

Gastric Emptying Half-Time Determination

Upon completion of this section, the student will be able to:

1. Outline the more common pathologies that may lead to delayed or accelerated gastric emptying.
2. Explain the principle of determining gastric emptying rates and the methods of expressing the results.
3. Describe the more commonly used standard meals including their preparation, the radiopharmaceuticals used and the dose ranges administered.
4. Outline and explain the rationale for the patient preparation requirements.
5. List the more common indications and presentations for gastric emptying half-time determinations.
6. List the equipment required for the procedure and explain the purpose of each component.
7. Outline the data / image acquisition parameters used for the procedure and explain the rationale for them.
8. Outline the data reduction methods used and the methods of expressing the results of the study.
9. Explain the basis for the interpretation of a delayed or an accelerated gastric emptying result.
10. List the more common causes of false positive and false negative gastric emptying results and explain how they occur.
11. List the more common technical difficulties and artifacts encountered with gastric emptying procedures and explain how to best deal with them.
12. Briefly outline the other modalities that may be used to determine the same or similar information.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Imaging and Function Study

Upon completion of this section the student will be able to:

1. Outline the more common pathologies that may give rise to gastroesophageal reflux.
2. Explain the principle of determining gastroesophageal reflux and the method of expressing results.
3. Describe the radiopharmaceuticals most commonly used including their preparation, method of administration and dose ranges.
4. List the common indications and presentations for gastroesophageal reflux imaging and function studies.
5. Outline and explain the rationale for the patient preparation requirements.
6. List the equipment required for the procedure and explain the purpose of each component.
7. Outline the image / data acquisition parameters used for the procedure and explain their function.
8. Outline the criteria for interpreting a positive gastroesophageal reflux study.
9. List the more common causes of false positive and false negative results and explain how they occur.
10. List the more common technical difficulties and artifacts encountered with gastroesophageal reflux imaging and function studies and explain how to best deal with each.
11. Describe the variations used with pediatric patients to determine the presence of Over-Night Pulmonary Aspiration (ONPA)
12. Briefly outline the other modalities that may be used to determine the same or similar information.

Esophageal Motility Function Study

1. Outline the more common pathologies that may give rise to impaired esophageal motility.
2. Explain the principle of determining esophageal motility and the method of expressing the result.
3. Describe the radiopharmaceutical(s) most commonly used including the preparation, method of administration and dose ranges.
4. List the common indications and presentations for esophageal motility studies.
5. Outline and explain the rationale for the patient preparation requirements.
6. List the equipment required for the procedure and explain the purpose of each component.
7. Outline the image / data acquisition parameters used for the procedure and explain their function.
8. Outline the criteria for interpreting a positive esophageal motility function study.
9. List the more common causes of false positive and false negative results and explain how they occur.
10. List the more common technical difficulties and artifacts encountered with esophageal motility function studies and explain how best to deal with each.
11. Briefly outline the other modalities that may be used to determine the same or similar information.

Salivary Gland Imaging

Upon completion of this section, the student will be able to:

1. Outline the more common pathologies encountered in the salivary glands.
2. Explain the principle of imaging the salivary glands using Tc-99m pertechnetate.
3. State the dose range of Tc-99m pertechnetate used.
4. List the more common indications and presentations for salivary gland imaging.
5. Outline and explain the rationale for the patient preparation requirements.
6. List the equipment required for the procedure and explain the purpose of each component.
7. Outline the image acquisition parameters used for the procedure and explain the rationale for them.
8. Outline the criteria for interpreting salivary gland images for the various pathologies.
9. List the more common causes of false positive and false negative results and explain how they occur.
10. List the more common technical difficulties and artifacts encountered with salivary gland imaging and explain how to best deal with each.
11. Briefly outline the other modalities that may be used to determine the same or similar information.

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