What are the limitations of Pediatric Nuclear Medicine?
Nuclear medicine procedures are time-consuming. They involve administration of a radiopharmaceutical, obtaining images, and interpreting the results. It can take hours to days for the radiopharmaceutical to accumulate in the part of the body under study. Imaging can take up to three hours to perform. However, new gamma cameras have been introduced that can cut scanning time in half. Imaging infants and young children can be challenging because of crying and motion. Doing a lengthy nuclear medicine procedure with a scared child who is unable to hold still may be especially difficult for medical personnel. Consequently, sedation is sometimes necessary.
