18F-FDG is the most commonly used radioisotope in PET scanning and is administered intravenously. When patients cannot cannulated, there are limited options available for functional tumour assessment. A fifty year old male presented for investigation of a suspected lung carcinoma identified during investigation of pneumonia. The patient had a severe needle phobia, intellectual disabilities and multiple co-morbidities which made cannulation impossible. An alternative administration method was sought, with successful oral administration occurring in both staging and restaging scans. The scans demonstrated resolution of a suspected lung cancer indicating it was an inflammatory/infective process, preventing the need for more invasive investigative approaches. A non-invasive and positive experience allowed for accurate diagnosis and repeat imaging for this patient, enabling follow up imaging to occur. It is reported that oral administration of 18F-FDG may be useful for assessment of suspected cancers for patients where cannulation isn’t possible, when limitations are taken into consideration.
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Hudswell, L., Pinson, J., Ramdave, S., & Bradley, J. (2020). No needle to fear: An approach to needle phobic patients. Asia Oceania Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology, 8(2), 160-163. doi: 10.22038/aojnmb.2020.45184.1304
MLA
Lauren Hudswell; Jo-Anne Pinson; Shakher Ramdave; Jason Bradley. "No needle to fear: An approach to needle phobic patients", Asia Oceania Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology, 8, 2, 2020, 160-163. doi: 10.22038/aojnmb.2020.45184.1304
HARVARD
Hudswell, L., Pinson, J., Ramdave, S., Bradley, J. (2020). 'No needle to fear: An approach to needle phobic patients', Asia Oceania Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology, 8(2), pp. 160-163. doi: 10.22038/aojnmb.2020.45184.1304
VANCOUVER
Hudswell, L., Pinson, J., Ramdave, S., Bradley, J. No needle to fear: An approach to needle phobic patients. Asia Oceania Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology, 2020; 8(2): 160-163. doi: 10.22038/aojnmb.2020.45184.1304
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