RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Can the Diagnostic Accuracy of Bone Scintigraphy Be Maintained with Half the Scanning Time?
JF Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
JO J. Nucl. Med. Technol.
FD Society of Nuclear Medicine
SP 330
OP 333
DO 10.2967/jnmt.121.262163
VO 49
IS 4
A1 Valeria M. Moncayo
A1 Sebastine Chimafor
A1 Elizabeth Lulaj
A1 John A. Malko
A1 Raghuveer Halkar
YR 2021
UL http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/49/4/330.abstract
AB We aimed to show that the acquisition time of a conventional bone scan could be reduced by half without losing the diagnostic value of the scan. Methods: Fifty adult patients (37 male and 13 female; mean age, 62.5 y; SD, 8.7 y) were enrolled. The patients were injected with 925–1,110 MBq (25–30 mCi) of 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate intravenously. The standard-protocol whole-body planar images were acquired first (scan speed, 10 cm/min; acquisition time, ∼20 min) and were followed immediately by the half-time protocol whole-body planar images (scan speed, 20 cm/min; acquisition time, ∼10 min). Both sets of images were interpreted by 2 nuclear medicine physicians. Each reviewer, when reviewing the standard-protocol images, was self-masked to the result he or she had obtained when reviewing the half-time images, and vice versa. This self-masking was accomplished by allowing a minimum of 2 wk to elapse between the 2 interpretations. We used the κ-coefficient to compare agreement between the standard-protocol results and the half-time results. Results: There was no difference in clinically significant diagnostic information between the half-time and standard protocols. The diagnostic quality of half-time and standard-protocol images did not significantly differ (0.86 < κ < 1.0). Conclusion: Our data suggest that if we reduce the 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate dose by half and keep the acquisition time at its standard value, we gain the benefit of reduced dose without loss of diagnostic value.