Diagnosis, early intervention, and treatment of patients who have an infection are the basic foundations of patient care. Early, appropriate interventions are associated with decreased patient morbidity and mortality. Diagnostic procedures with clinical information and laboratory results are integral in the assessment of inflammatory diseases and the prevention of sepsis. Some of the imaging modalities currently used for the assessment of inflammation include computed tomography, plain radiography, positron emission tomography, technetium Tc 99m bone scintigraphy, magnetic resonance imaging, and leukocyte scintigraphy. In the case of patients who exhibit signs of osteomyelitis, it is necessary to understand that acute and chronic conditions are not based on the duration of the disease but on the histopathologic features of the disease. Although several imaging modalities are considered appropriate, there is not one singular procedure that is considered ideal. Rather, it is a combination of procedures and various other clinical factors. This article addresses some of the advantages and disadvantages of the modalities, with a focus on molecular imaging and the assessment of osteomyelitis.

If anyone is serious about passing the NMTCB's nuclear cardiology technology examination, acquiring further knowledge of nuclear cardiology, or just obtaining some continuing education units, this study guide is certainly the one to purchase. It is quite informative and leaves no aspect of nuclear cardiology behind. The authors are virtually a who's who of experts in the nuclear cardiology field, and even though the price tag is a bit high, it is certainly worth the money.The 211-page, 16-chapter soft-cover study guide, published by the SNM in 2010, is designed to help technologists who want to enhance their career by earning the esteemed credentials NCT to put after their name and on their resume. It includes every aspect of the on-demand NMTCB examination: instrumentation/procedures/processing, anatomy/ physiology/pathology, radiopharmaceuticals/interventional drugs, nonpharmacologic (exercise) stress testing, and patient care. It also includes a comprehensive color atlas, a total of 14 continuing education units that are optional but affordable ($14.21 per credit), and a 140-question mock examination with the answers to boot! Not to mention that every chapter ends with follow-up questions to make sure the reader absorbs the information being presented.The guide begins by introducing the reader to basic cardiac anatomy and physiology. It discusses the heart chambers; electrophysiology; coronary artery distribution; heart valves, including the great vessels; cardiac diseases; and normal and abnormal physiologic responses to stress. The second chapter is an excellent complement to the first chapter as it segues from anatomy and physiology to the most basic of cardiac tests, the electrocardiogram. The electrocardiography chapter discusses the leads and which wall of the heart each lead records, the QRS complex, 8 steps to interpreting the electrocardiogram, and how to recognize the different rhythms of the heart and their origin, and the chapter finishes with the different disorders and disruptions of normal conduction. Because many programs do not focus on electrocardiograms and interpretation, this chapter really does make comprehension of electrocardiograms easier for even the most experienced technologist. The third chapter moves from the simplest of cardiac tests, the electrocardiogram, to other cardiac examinations that do not fall under the myocardial perfusion umbrella.