Course Overview
Designed for students with experience in radionuclide imaging and an understanding of the physics of positron emission tomography (PET), this course provides the knowledge base to perform PET clinical imaging in oncology, neurology and cardiology applications. Emphasis is on integrating theoretical understanding with clinical experience to make informed decisions about procedural technique, modifications, patient considerations, interventional pharmaceuticals, risks, quantitative and qualitative image data collection, data manipulation and data reporting. Through case study review, students will gain experience identifying image artefacts and differentiating normal results from those indicating pathological processes. Investigation of current research and professional literature on PET clinical applications will provide a foundation for relating research developments to practice.
Prerequisite(s)
- No prerequisites are required for this course.
Credits
3.0
- Retired
- This course has been retired and is no longer offered. Find other Flexible Learning courses that may interest you.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, the student will be able to:
- Outline the historical development and relevance of PET and PET/CT in clinical practice.
- Discuss the complementary relationship of PET to other medical radiation modalities.
- Discuss the properties of radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals used in PET imaging.
- Explain the clinical indications and rationale for PET imaging procedures in oncology, neurology and cardiology applications.
- Evaluate technical considerations relevant to scheduling, patient preparation, pre-imaging procedures, intervention options and modifications.
- Evaluate technical and radiation protection considerations relevant to PET radiopharmaceutical dose preparation and administration.
- Describe technical considerations relevant to PET quality control, image acquisition and data manipulation.
- Make informed decisions, based on a patient's clinical history, as to choice of radiopharmaceutical, procedural technique, modifications, patient considerations, interventions, risks, data collection and data manipulation.
- Differentiate preventable and non-preventable artifacts and take corrective measures to prevent misinterpretation of reported data.
- Relate the biodistribution of PET radiopharmaceuticals to image evidence of normal anatomy and physiology.
- Differentiate normal from pathologic biodistribution of PET radiopharmaceuticals used in oncology, neurology and cardiology imaging applications.
- Evaluate the technical quality of PET procedures and communicate the validity of reported data.
- Predict the impact of sources of error on reported results.
- Relate research developments in PET and PET/CT to applications in clinical practice.
Effective as of Winter 2008
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.