As the global medical isotope shortage continues indefinitely following the plant leak in South Africa, Berks Cardiologists Ltd., a cardiovascular imaging center in central Pennsylvania, is continuing to operate at the same procedure volume and with their lower-dose cardiac nuclear medicine imaging protocols. The facility relies on software from UltraSPECT, a provider of image reconstruction technology that reduces radiopharmaceutical dose and acquisition time for nuclear medicine (NM) exams.
Berks Cardiologists is a private practice in Wyomissing, Penn. with a staff that includes 14 cardiologists and performs about 100 SPECT exams a week. The practice was initially looking for software to improve their image quality and found a solution that only provides them with high-resolution images and the ability to use half the injected dose of the nuclear imaging agent Technetium-99m (Tc-99m).
“Wide Beam Reconstruction technology from UltraSPECT has been instrumental in our ability to maintain our high patient throughput throughout this technetium shortage,” said James Reibsane, CNMT, director of diagnostic and technical services, Berks. “With our protocol of low-dose imaging, our business operations continue, and our patients are all imaged as planned and as needed. Few cardiovascular imaging facilities across the country can say the same.”
Imaging Technology News – January 3, 2014.
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