Gastrointestinal Molecular Imaging (2023)
September 2023
Since the earliest days of the discipline, the study of digestive disorders has historically been a very relevant area of study from the nuclear medicine point of view. The ability to visualise and characterise the varied physiological processes of the gastrointestinal systems without resorting to invasive methods makes nuclear medicine an effective and comparatively easy-to-perform method for evaluating these types of diseases.
The evolution of radiopharmacy and the available molecules, further development of the labelling processes and the routine application of these radiopharmaceuticals has enabled the study of the annexes of the digestive tract, which has also given increased importance to these nuclear medicine procedures
Gastrointestinal molecular imaging studies have been performed for a long time now, and their applicability varies according to the different needs of different populations across the globe. To this end, a wide variety of protocols have been developed and harmonisation is a major challenge in this area. Meal composition, imaging protocols, standardisation of results and many other specific challenges arise when these procedures are applied in the clinical setting.
With this in mind, this book provides a summary of the most-performed procedures in molecular gastrointestinal imaging, starting with basic anatomy and physiology and an overview of the available molecules in the radiopharmacy toolkit before going on to discuss a number of the procedures available. The various chapters have been written by authors with a wealth of knowledge and practical expertise in each of the covered topics, who outline the individual procedures together with their applications, the suggested protocols and the expected outcomes.
Last but not least, this edition of the Technologists’ Guide provides an overview of gastrointestinal molecular imaging procedures which have seen growing relevance in recent years. The growth of theranostics has resulted in an increased need to assess the function of some of the digestive organs, such as the liver or the salivary glands.