Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging (NMDI)

Co-ordinated Research Projects


Nuclear Cardiology:

CRP Number: E1.30.34
CRP Title: Assessment of Left Ventricular Function in Coronary Artery Disease with Nuclear Techniques
Objective:

  1. To improve the detection of transient ischemic-induced systolic dysfunction after exercise, by performing early GSPECT acquisition.
  2. To evaluate the feasibility, image quality and functional parameters obtained by early post-stress GSPECT acquisition and compare them to those obtained by the standard acquisition.
  3. To assess the incremental prognostic value of transient LV dysfunction over other nuclear, clinical and exercise data.
  4. To correlate myocardial stunning with anatomic findings from coronary angiography, when available.
  5. To correlate myocardial stunning findings with patient management.
  6. To identify parameters that predict higher risk of myocardial stunning.
  7. To identify the incidence of abnormal wall motion abnormalities induced by exercise without a significant drop in ejection fraction

Year of Commencement: 2007
Duration: 5 years

CRP Number: E1.30.32
CRP Title: Performance of Rest Myocardial Perfusion Imaging in the Management of Acute Chest Pain in the Emergency Room
Objective:

Myocardial perfusion imaging is an emerging technique to help triage patients presenting to the emergency room with chest pain and who present with a normal or non-diagnostic electrocardiogram. The method has been shown to demonstrate a high cost saving and decrease length of stay in hospital. In essence, a normal study allows the sage discharge of the patient from the emergency department. The purpose of our study is to extrapolate these data to the developing world and to assess the ability of this technique to predict the 30 day cardiac event rate.

Year of Commencement: 2007
Duration: 5 years

CRP Number: E1.30.31
CRP Title: Role of Nuclear Cardiology Techniques in Ischemia Assessment with Exercise Imaging in Asymptomatic Diabetes
Objective:

To examine the prevalence of ischemia by SPECT perfusion imaging performed during symptom limited treadmill or bicycle exercise and compare it to an age and sex-matched control group with no diabetes but with multiple coronary risk factors

Year of Commencement: 2006
Duration: 5 years

CRP Number: E1.30.38
CRP Title: Clinical use of Myocardial SPECT Imaging and CT Angiography in Coronary Artery Disease (2010-2013)
Objective:

To examine the prevalence of ischemia by SPECT perfusion imaging performed during symptom limited treadmill or bicycle exercise and compare it to an age and sex-matched control group with no diabetes but with multiple coronary risk factors

Year of Commencement: 2010
Duration: 5 years

Nuclear Oncology:

CRP Number: E1. 50.20
CRP Title: Application of FDG-PET and Molecular Gene Profiling for Risk Stratification of Diffuse Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in Different Ethnic Populations
Objective:

To develop prognostic algorithms to improve the treatment and outcome of patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in developing countries.

Year of Commencement: 2006
Duration: 5 years

CRP Number: E1.30.33
CRP Title: Evaluation of the Biological Safety and Clinical Efficacy of 177 Lu-EDTMP for Bone Pain Palliation in Metastatic Prostate Cancer (PhaseI/II Clinical Trial)
Objective:

The objective of this CRP is to evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of 177Lu-EDTMP for bone pain palliation in metastatic prostate cancer in a Phase I and Phase II clinical trial. Effective cancer management requires standardizing and coordinating treatment protocols and by making available economically affordable therapies. Our approach will utilize available capacities in to improve access to cost effective treatment by developing appropriate infrastructure, radio pharmacy and clinical institutions to promote effective use of targeted radionuclide therapy Member States. Prostate cancer is currently one of the most common malignancies worldwide. About 50-70% of patients present with locally advanced stage and about 15-30% have bone metastases at the time of diagnosis. In advanced stage of the disease, cancer spread to the skeleton occurs in a majority of patients, with skeletal metastases being predominantly osteoblastic in nature. Treatment with bone seeking beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals has been shown to reduce pain for a prolonged period and to improve quality of life with no serious side effects. For several reasons 177Lu-EDTMP has a very good potential for use as a therapeutic agent.

Year of Commencement: 2007
Duration: 5 years

Infection Imaging:

CRP Number: E1.30.35
CRP Title: Longitudinal Monitoring of Complicated Osteomyelitis by SPECT/CT
Objective:

To define the incremental value of combined functional and anatomical imaging by SPECT/CT in the assessment of bone infection over scintigraphy alone.

Clinically to assess the role of hybrid or fusion SPECT/CT imaging in diagnostic work-up and management of patients with complicated osteomyelitis thus providing socially and economically significant benefits (i.e.Post-traumatic osteomyelitis, Diabetic foot and Endoprosthesis infection (all prosthetic materials, also nails and plates).

Year of Commencement: 2008
Duration: 5 years