F-18 Sodium Fluoride PET/CT Bone Scanning
03/30/2011
Over the past decade imaging has reached new heights in technology and patient care. Positron Emission Tomography with Computed Tomography (PET/CT) continues to follow that pattern of innovative excellence. The glucose analogue FDG is well established as the standard of care for staging of disease and monitoring of treatment in patients with cancer.
A new tracer, F-18 sodium fluoride (NaF) is now available for PET/CT bone scanning. Multiple published studies have demonstrated that NaF-PET/CT scan is able to detect metastatic disease to the bone with a better accuracy than conventional bone scanning. The National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) has been covering indications for FDG PET/CT not currently eligible for reimbursement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Starting February 2011 the NOPR has expanded its scope and now also covers NaF PET/CT scanning for the detection of bone metastasis with the purpose of collecting data on referring physicians' plans of intended patient management for Medicare patients undergoing NaF-PET scans for evaluation of proven or strongly suspected metastatic disease to the bone.
UCLA Radiology and the Ahmanson Biological Imaging Center are proud to announce the availability of NaF-PET/CT bone scans in both Westwood and Santa Monica.
