Stefano Fanti – författare

This atlas is a concise but comprehensive guide to the diverse patterns of response to immunotherapy as observed on Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) and other conventional imaging modalities, including CT and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The purpose for this publication is to fill the gap between the growing clinical relevance and utilization of immunotherapy in medical oncology, mainly based on checkpoint inhibitors, and the need for experienced imagers with reliable tools assessing response to treatment. A series of disease-oriented chapters will present the imaging findings during immunotherapy in the major oncological settings, with helpful comparison of functional (PET/CT) and morphological (CT/MRI) patterns of response in individual cases. To complete the atlas, a dedicated chapter will focus on major pitfalls and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) affecting image interpretation during the course of immunotherapy. The concluding chapter will lastly examine the available data and potential developments of immuno-PET, which is considered as the novel frontier of research in this oncological scenario. The atlas will be of high value for radiologists and nuclear medicine specialists at all levels of experience.

This is the first book to explore the epistemology and ethics of advanced imaging tests, in order to improve the critical understanding of the nature of knowledge they provide and the practical consequences of their utilization in healthcare. Advanced medical imaging tests, such as PET and MRI, have gained center stage in medical research and in patients’ care. They also increasingly raise questions that pertain to philosophy: What is required to be an expert in reading images? How are standards for interpretation to be fixed? Is there a problem of overutilization of such tests? How should uncertainty be communicated to patients? How to cope with incidental findings? This book is of interest and importance to scholars of philosophy of medicine at all levels, from undergraduates to researchers, to medical researchers and practitioners (radiologists and nuclear physicians) interested in a critical appraisal of the methodology of their discipline and in the ethical principles andconsequences of their work.

This atlas is intended to enable nuclear medicine practitioners who routinely read PET/CT scans to recognize the most common CT abnormalities. Reading PET/CT scans can sometimes be challenging. It is not infrequent, in fact, to encounter abnormal findings in CT images (not related to the neoplastic disease under evaluation) that are functionally silent and therefore difficult to interpret for nuclear medicine practitioners. Frequently, these findings are clinically relevant and should be reported, interpreted and compared to previous scans. This may also have an impact on patient management, since expensive tests like PET/CT are expected to provide the highest level of diagnostic information. Generally, CT images associated with a PET scan are acquired in a low-dose modality, and therefore prove to be sub-optimal for CT image interpretation. Sometimes a comparison with a full-resolution and contrast-enhanced CT atlas may be difficult. Low-dose CT slices are thicker than diagnostic CT and offer less anatomical detail, which can affect accuracy in terms of recognizing both anatomical structures and pathological findings.

Today it is becoming increasingly common to acquire a standard PET/CT by combining the administration of contrast media and a diagnostic CT; here, too, basic CT reporting skills are needed in clinical practice.

This atlas features a chapter on “normal anatomy” (with and without contrast media) that is based on low-dose and full-dose CT images from PET/CT standard acquisition, and which identifies all the relevant anatomical structures. Other chapters (focusing on the thorax, abdomen, pelvis, and musculoskeletal system) present cases with common and uncommon anatomical abnormalities. The addition of new cases with ceCT in this revised second edition rounds out the coverage of PET/CT reporting. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to nuclear medicine physicians, radiologists, and oncologists alike.

This pocket book provides up-to-date descriptions of the most relevant features of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and the imaging modalities currently available to assist specialists (clinicians, pathologists, radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians) in selecting optimal patient management based on interdisciplinary collaboration. As the title indicates, the focus is particularly on PET/CT, with coverage of basic principles, the available radiopharmaceuticals, indications, typical and atypical appearances, normal variants and artifacts, advantages, limitations, and pitfalls. In addition, succinct information is provided on the use of other imaging modalities, including SPECT, CT, and MRI, and on pathology and treatment options. Imaging teaching cases are presented, and key points are highlighted throughout. The book is published as part of a series on hybrid imaging that is specifically aimed at referring clinicians, nuclear medicine/radiology physicians, radiographers/technologists, and nurses who routinely work in nuclear medicine and participate in multidisciplinary meetings.

This user-friendly atlas, featuring about 500 images, should be a quick guide to interpreting PET/CT images with FDG in oncology. It also illustrates how to recognize normal, para-physiological, and benign pathological uptakes in a case-based practical manner. The text, which includes most relevant technical and pathophysiological premises, covers the main clinical applications and clearly articulates learning points and pitfalls. This atlas aims to become a standard text for nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists, residents and technicians whose work involves PET/CT imaging. This book is also suitable for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Although [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) generally shows an excellent performance as a cancer-imaging agent when using PET-CT, there are some settings in which other radiopharmaceuticals offer advantages. Such non-FDG tracers are now gaining widespread acceptance not only in research but also in clinical practice. This atlas, including about 500 high-quality images, is a user-friendly guide to PET-CT imaging beyond FDG. A wide range of tracers is covered, such as 18F- and 11C-choline, 11C-methionine, 18F-ethyl-L-tyrosine, 68Ga-DOTA-NOC, 11C-acetate, 11C-thymidine, and 18F-DOPA. Throughout, the emphasis is on image interpretation, with guidance on the recognition of normal, benign, and malignant uptake and clear instruction on learning points and pitfalls. This atlas is designed to serve as a reference text for both nuclear physicians and radiologists, and will also be of great benefit to radiographers, technologists, and nuclear medicine and radiology residents.

Reading PET/CT scans is sometimes challenging. Not infrequently, abnormal findings on CT images are functionally silent and therefore difficult for nuclear medicine practitioners to interpret. Furthermore, in general only a low-dose CT scan is produced as part of the combined PET/CT study, and the resulting CT images may prove suboptimal for image interpretation. This atlas is designed to enable nuclear medicine practitioners who routinely read PET/CT scans to recognize the most common CT abnormalities. Slice-by-slice descriptions are provided of anatomical structures as visualized on CT scans obtained in PET/CT studies. The CT findings that may be detected while reviewing PET/CT scans of various body regions and conditions are then illustrated and fully described. The concluding section of the book is devoted to the principal MRI findings in diseases which cannot be evaluated using PETs/CTs. ​