Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, Vol 25, Issue 2 86-97, Copyright © 1997 by Society of Nuclear Medicine
Caring for the older patient, Part II: Age-related anatomic and physiologic changes and pathologies
AM Steves, SB Dowd and D Durick
Division of Medical Imaging and Therapy, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294-1270, USA.
This is the second article of a four-part series on gerontology and its
applications to the care of elderly patients in nuclear medicine. This
article reviews anatomic and physiologic changes and pathology associated
with aging. It also discusses tailoring nuclear medicine procedures
according to patients' needs and conditions, as well as adopting changes
within the nuclear medicine department to better serve older patients. Upon
completion of this article, the reader should be able to: (a) describe
normal age-related anatomic and physiologic changes that are observed in
older patients; (b) identify common age-related disorders; (c) discuss
considerations in tailoring nuclear medicine procedures for older patients;
and (d) identify changes in the nuclear medicine facility that would better
accommodate older patients.
