Positron emission tomography/computed tomography is a hybrid nuclear medicine imaging technique that helps radiologists spot abnormal metabolic activity. PET/CT is commonly used to diagnose cancers, heart diseases and certain brain disorders, among other conditions.
The positive findings come after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration previously shared concerns related to sterility assurance issues during the drug’s production.
“Becoming an independent department elevates this work and strengthens UCLA’s role in shaping the future of precision health," said the department's new acting chairman.
One of the tracer’s more significant advantages is its extended half-life of 109 minutes—significantly longer than other currently available PET MPI imaging agents.
The exam effectively helps providers manage patients’ treatment options, but for some, the costs associated with those treatments may negate the value of its findings.
Previously, CMS determined that coverage for patients receiving treatment was dependent on their being enrolled in a CMS-approved clinical trial under coverage with evidence development (CED).
FDG-PET scans in these patients allow clinicians to determine whether the tumors are still viable or not, thus playing a significant role in making treatment decisions.
A new study in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging focuses on a potential new side effect of COVID-19, highlighting the continued importance of monitoring these patients going forward.
In the study, patients who had recovered from an COVID infection were injected with a small amount of the 89Zr-labeled radiotracer before undergoing a uExplorer PET/CT scan.
A Canadian manufacturer of positron emission tomography equipment has received FDA’s OK to market a small-footprint scanner that images targeted organs bearing radiotracers at close range.