[Nuclear medicine procedures in paediatric patients]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nuclear Medicine
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Pediatricians utilize scintigraphy for functional information to guide surgical decisions, particularly in kidney function assessment.
• Scintigraphy is essential for diagnosing bone diseases presenting with musculoskeletal disorders and for evaluating malignancies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the key applications of scintigraphic examinations in pediatric medicine.
• To emphasize the unique indications of certain scintigraphic tests in children compared to adults.
• To underscore the importance of considering age-specific factors in pediatric nuclear medicine.

Main Methods:

• Review of common scintigraphic examinations in pediatric practice, including kidney, bone, MIBG-123, FDG-18F, lung, and thyroid scans.
• Analysis of specific indications for these scans in diagnosing and managing pediatric conditions.
• Consideration of age-related specificities in pediatric nuclear medicine procedures.

Main Results:

• Kidney and bone scans constitute 85% of pediatric scintigraphic examinations.
• Scintigraphy plays a critical role in evaluating and staging pediatric malignancies like neuroblastoma and lymphoma.
• Specific pediatric indications include lung scans for malformations and thyroid scans for congenital hypothyroidism, alongside Meckel's diverticulum localization.

Conclusions:

• Scintigraphic examinations are indispensable tools in pediatric diagnostics, offering vital functional information for a range of conditions.
• Pediatric nuclear medicine requires tailored approaches due to the unique physiological and pathological characteristics of children.
• The described applications demonstrate the broad utility of scintigraphy in pediatric healthcare, from routine assessments to complex disease management.