Diagnostic Imaging in European Eastern Countries: a Russian Experience

The authors define clinical nuclear medicine as a branch of high-technology medicine which employs radionuclides and other radiation (both ionizing and non-ionizing) for diagnosing and treating various pathological forms, including: (1) radionuclide and other diagnostic methods, including single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), and non-radionuclide tomographic methods (computed tomography [CT] and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]); (2) radionuclide and radiation therapy (RT); (3) radiopharmaceutical (RP) manufacturing technologies; (4) use of charged particle accelerators for generating isotopes and performing radiation therapy; and (5) computer technologies of obtaining and storing tomographic images, as well as of planning radiation therapy and other calculations. The authors present their experience of using nuclear medicine methods at the multiprofile pediatric establishment; it indicates that 46 % of the scintigraphic examinations have been examinations of kidneys and urinary organs; 19 %, of the liver and biliary tracts; 17 %, of the heart; 14 %, of the lungs; 2.6 %, of the skeletal system; and 1.4 %, of the thyroid gland and testicles. The authors have developed a nuclear medicine method selection algorithm which helps to optimize the diagnostic process and increase the effectiveness thereof at pediatric establishments.