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Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic reshaped the usual risk: benefit equilibrium that became a trade-off between the infection exposure risk for the patient (and for staff) and the risk associated with delaying or cancelling the nuclear medicine examination. This study aimed at quantifying the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown in France on nuclear medicine examination volume together with volume of examination cancellation and non-attendance. Methods: We retrospectively assessed the volume of planned examinations from 1 month before to 1 month after the first lockdown in French high-volume nuclear medicine departments (NMD) sharing the same information management system including both university hospitals, UH (n = 7), and cancer centres, CC (n = 2). Results: The study enrolled 31,628 consecutive patients referred for a nuclear medicine examination performed or not (NMEP or NMEnP). The total volume of NMEP significantly dropped by 43.4% between the 4 weeks before and after the starting of the lockdown. The comparison of the percentage of NMEP and NMEnP between UH and CC is significantly different (p < 0.001). The percentage of NMEP during the study was 67.9% in UH vs 84.7% in CC. Percentages of NMEnP in UH and CC were due respectively to cancellation by the patient (14.9 vs 7.4%), cancellation by the NMD (9.5 vs 3.4%), cancellation by the referring physician (5.1 vs 4.4%) and non-attender patients (2.7 vs 0.2%). Conclusion: The study underlines the public health issue caused by COVID-19 above the pandemic itself and should be useful in preparing for potential resource utilisation and staffing requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dear Sir, Since the first cases reported in China in December 2019 [[1]], coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by a novel coronavirus, now referred to as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), became a pandemic raising a lot of concern to control [[2]]. Protection of nuclear medicine staff Although biological COVID-19 protection is currently evaluated and bears specificities, it shares a common approach with radiological protection that is well mastered by nuclear medicine teams. Nuclear medicine staffs are occasionally using FFP 2 respirators (or N95 respirators) when taking care of patients with bacterial, fungal, or viral (e.g., influenza) respiratory infections. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on a study to demonstrate a transfer of yttrium-90 to breast milk after radiosynoviorthesis (RSO) for the treatment of villonodular synovitis of the knee. Topics discussed include the injection of yttrium-90 colloid particles into the knee for RSO, the leakage of radionuclides to the locoregional lymph nodes, and left knee monoarthritis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the potential diagnostic value of regional myocardial adrenergic I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging to identify patients with Lewy body diseases (LBD+). Methods: Sixty-four consecutive patients who underwent cardiac I-MIBG SPECT to differentiate LBD+, including Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), from patients without LBD (LBD−) were retrospectively reviewed. A neurologist expert in memory disorders determined the final clinical diagnosis by using international clinical diagnostic criteria. Planar [heart to mediastinum ratio (HMR)] and I-MIBG SPECT[(innervation defect score (IDS)] using the 17-segment left ventricular model (five-point scale) were obtained 4 h after the injection of I-MIBG on a low-energy high-resolution (LEHR) collimator. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the optimal HMR and IDS cut-off values to discriminate LBD+ from LBD−. Results: Of the 64 patients, 45 (70 %) were diagnosed LBD+ (DLB, n = 27; PD, n = 18) and 19 were diagnosed LBD− (5 other dementias, 14 other parkinsonisms). The HMR and IDS of LBD+ were significantly different from those of LBD− (1.30 ± 0.21 vs 1.65 ± 0.26, p < 0.001; 39 ± 28 vs 8 ± 16, p = 0.001). The optimal HMR and IDS cut-off values to discriminate LBD+ ( n = 45) from LBD− ( n = 19) were 1.47 and 6/68, providing a sensitivity and specificity of 82.2 and 84.2 % and 86.7 and 73.7 %, respectively. Conclusion: Regional myocardial adrenergic I-MIBG imaging SPECT has a potential diagnostic value to identify LBD+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]