RE: A Question for Power Reactor Types

[alstonchris@netscape.net]

>One possible reason for more heart scans using Tl-201

>is the ease of the procedure.  There have also been

>articles recommending that patients who arrive at

>Emergency Rooms demonstrating heart problems be given

>a nuclear medicine scan prior to admission.  If the

>patient does not show signs of heart disease, they are

>not admitted.  Saves hundreds of bucks.



At a hospital where I worked during the mid-90's, we figured that we saved ~US$1200, when we could rule out a myocardial infarction (MI), as the cause of chest pain, in the ER, without admitting the pt.  Note though, that it's effectively a stress test, so you're using Tc-99m (say, as Cardiolite), not Tl-201 (at least that I've ever heard).



Also, they're starting to use Tl-201 for oncologic scans now.  That goes along with John's observation about the aging population.



I find it *really* hard to believe that anyone's getting enough moly breakthrough in a tech dose to give photon flux rates that set off portal monitors.  It wouldn't be legal, the limit is 15 uCi/mCi.  It would not be good; you're looking at an Emax 1.2 MeV beta, with a three-day t1/2.  Plus, the phenomenon would have to be very widespread, wouldn't it?



It's more likely that the pts were given more than one radiopharmaceutical, the classic example (again) being cardiac studies in which the pt gets thallium for the resting phase, and tech-99m for the stressed phase.



I await the slings and arrows

Cheerio

cja



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