Scheduling Nuclear Medicine Studies That Use PET/CT
| Type of PET/CT scan (referrals must be reviewed by nuclear medicine consultant) | Scans that can be booked and performed as requested (unless patient is at risk of COVID-19 infection) | Scans that require liaison with clinical team for canceling or rescheduling (inform patient) |
| Oncology | 18F-FDG for staging, restaging, response assessment, and radiotherapy planning | 18F-FDG, 68Ga-DOTATATE/DOTATOC, 18F-PSMA, 68Ga-PSMA, 18F-choline, 18F-NaF, or 18F-DOPA for follow-up evaluation |
| 18F-PSMA, 68Ga-PSMA, or 18F-choline for biochemical recurrence | ||
| 68Ga-DOTATATE/DOTATOC for staging, restaging, and selecting patients for PRRT | ||
| 18F-NaF for bone metastases | ||
| 18F-DOPA for diagnosis and staging | ||
| Nononcology | 18F-FDG for pyrexia of unknown origin in COVID-19–negative patients, for sepsis, for viability testing in symptomatic patients awaiting CABG, for suspected device or prosthetic infection, or for cardiac sarcoidosis | 18F-FDG for known sarcoidosis in patients on treatment, for polymyalgia rheumatica, or for follow-up of known cardiac sarcoidosis in patients on treatment |
These are examples based on consensus only, and responsibility lies with each institution or hospital to ensure its written policy adheres to that outlined by national public health guidance in its respective country and hospital.
FDG = fluorodeoxyglucose; PSMA = prostate-specific membrane antigen; PRRT = peptide receptor radionuclide therapy; DOPA = 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalnine; CABG = coronary artery bypass grafting; NaF = sodium fluoride.