Bacterial infections are the main cause of patient morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diagnosis can be difficult and delayed as well as the identification of the etiological pathogen, necessary for... Show moreBacterial infections are the main cause of patient morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diagnosis can be difficult and delayed as well as the identification of the etiological pathogen, necessary for a tailored antibiotic therapy. Several non-invasive diagnostic procedures are available, all with pros and cons. Molecular nuclear medicine has highly contributed in this field by proposing several different radiopharmaceuticals (antimicrobial peptides, leukocytes, cytokines, antibiotics, sugars, etc.) but none proved to be highly specific for bacteria, although many agents in development look promising. Indeed, factors including the number and strain of bacteria, the infection site, and the host condition, may affect the specificity of the tested radiopharmaceuticals. At the Third European Congress on Infection/Inflammation Imaging, a round table discussion was dedicated to debate the pros and cons of different radiopharmaceuticals for imaging bacteria with the final goal to find a consensus on the most relevant research steps that should be fulfilled when testing a new probe, based on experience and cumulative published evidence. Show less
Leeuwen, F.W.B. van; Schottelius, M.; Brouwer, O.R.; Vidal-Sicart, S.; Achilefu, S.; Klode, J.; ... ; Buckle, T. 2020
Introduction: Radioguided surgery is an ever-evolving part of nuclear medicine. In fact, this nuclear medicine sub-discipline actively bridges non-invasive molecular imaging with surgical care.... Show moreIntroduction: Radioguided surgery is an ever-evolving part of nuclear medicine. In fact, this nuclear medicine sub-discipline actively bridges non-invasive molecular imaging with surgical care. Next to relying on the availability of radio- and bimodal-tracers, the success of radioguided surgery is for a large part dependent on the imaging modalities and imaging concepts available for the surgical setting. With this review, we have aimed to provide a comprehensive update of the most recent advances in the field. Areas covered: We have made an attempt to cover all aspects of radioguided surgery: 1) the use of radioisotopes that emit gamma, beta(+), and/or beta(-) radiation, 2) hardware developments ranging from probes to 2D cameras and even the use of advanced 3D interventional imaging solutions, and 3) multiplexing solutions such as dual-isotope detection or combined radionuclear and optical detection. Expertopinion: Technical refinements in the field of radioguided surgery should continue to focus on supporting its implementation in the increasingly complex minimally invasive surgical setting, e.g. by accommodating robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. In addition, hybrid concepts that integrate the use of radioisotopes with other image-guided surgery modalities such as fluorescence or ultrasound are likely to expand in the future. Show less