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Reducing perceived pain levels during nonbreast lymphoscintigraphy.
Mickaila J Johnston1, James A Ntambi, Nicki Hilliard
1From the *Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, CA; †University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR; and ‡George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Clinical Nuclear Medicine
|July 30, 2015
Summary
Buffering Tc-sulfur colloid to pH 7.40 significantly reduced pain during lymphoscintigraphy for melanoma. This simple adjustment improves patient comfort in this diagnostic imaging procedure.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Medicine
- Radiopharmacology
- Oncology
Background:
- Lymphoscintigraphy is crucial for melanoma staging.
- The injection of Tc-sulfur colloid can cause significant pain.
- Reducing injection pain can improve patient experience and compliance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the pain reduction from altering Tc-sulfur colloid pH to 7.40.
- To assess the impact of pH-adjusted Tc-sulfur colloid on patient-reported pain during lymphoscintigraphy.
- To evaluate a novel method for improving patient comfort during melanoma diagnostic imaging.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, double-blinded, prospective crossover trial was conducted.
- 60 patients undergoing lymphoscintigraphy for melanoma received either standard or pH-7.40 buffered Tc-sulfur colloid.
- Pain was quantified using a 0-10 scale post-injection.
Main Results:
- A significant mean decrease of 1.42 points in pain score was observed with buffered injections (P < 0.0001).
- 57 patients provided complete data for analysis.
- The order of injection did not significantly influence pain perception.
Conclusions:
- Buffering Tc-sulfur colloid to a physiologic pH of 7.40 effectively reduces perceived pain during non-breast lymphoscintigraphy.
- This pH adjustment offers a simple and significant method to enhance patient comfort.
- The findings support the routine use of pH-buffered Tc-sulfur colloid in clinical practice.
