This course and workshop is designed mainly for the Nuclear Medicine community and will be held on 11 and 12 February 2019. It is part of the “2019 Radiation in Medicine Symposium and Workshops” to be hosted by the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 7 to 13 February 2019.

In this course and workshop, we will have two tracks, one for physicists and one for Technologists. Both tracks will share the two mornings of formal lectures and then will separate in the practical sessions in the afternoons. Both tracks will have two half days of hands-on activities and informal discussions where several quality control procedures will be performed and analyzed in the physicist’s track. While Radiolabeling of WBC and in vivo/in vitro radiolabeling of RBC will be presented in the Technologist track.

Several international and national agencies recommended a number of tests to be performed on the gamma cameras including frequency of each test. The American National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) suggested a complete set of tests in several publications called “Performance Measurements of Gamma Cameras”, the NEMA NU 01-2001, 2007 and 2012 to evaluate the gamma cameras during the acceptance testing. Also the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suggested tests to be performed at different frequencies in different publications like “IAEA Human Health Series, No. 6”, Quality Control for SOECT Systems. In this course, several recommended procedures by NEMA and/or the IAEA will be covered and performed during the practical sessions.

The SPECT/CT systems have been recently introduced in the field with several systems acquired in the area over the past few years. There are no recommended procedures yet to test the application of CT on SPECT images of these systems by any agency. Several procedures have already been suggested and recommended by some scientists in the field. Some of these procedures are practiced and developed in our institution. We shall cover this topic in this course.

Our scientific program will cover lectures on basics of gamma camera, optimization of image acquisition and processing, Radiation protection and ACR accreditation in nuclear medicine. All of this in addition to lectures on our main subject which is quality control of the gamma camera. Two lectures will describe the procedures to be covered in the practical. These may include preparation of the phantom(s) and source(s), acquisition of data and then processing and analyzing of acquired images. The participants will have the chance to perform some tests under supervision.

This course and workshop has a broad objective of tackling global diagnostic and non-invasive radionuclide therapy challenges with the aid of advanced techniques, physics and nuclear imaging equipment and research implications. These significant sessions will focus on Clinical Nuclear Medicine Imaging, Non-Imaging, Radiopharmacy and practical aspects of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Through inspiring sessions and workshops you will learn the practical aspects and techniques in clinical nuclear medicine as well as recent advancement in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

Radiolabeling of WBC and in vivo/in vitro radiolabeling of RBC Many factors affect radiolabeling of cells. They can result from patient him/herself or can be introduced by operator/facilities used for radiolabeling. Other factors which may affect the labelling efficiency are plasma concentration, types of cell collected, method of radiolabeling, choice of sedimentation agent, choice of anticoagulant, stability of cell chelator, concentration of ligand and radionuclide, concentration and number of cells and volume of ingredients, pH, temperature, cell damage affected by presence of disease in patient and / or patient’s medication.

A short lecture discussing the labelling of autologous cells is a well-rehearsed procedure and should not be extemporaneous. It is therefore important to start with sterile, pyrogen free, GMP grade materials and disposables, and to perform all labelling steps using aseptic procedures while working in a suitable environment, will be given before the hands-on practical session. The practical session will include the following tests/procedures:

They are experts and well-known in the fields of this course and workshop. Their input and contributions will be very beneficial to all participants. There will be informative and constructive lectures as well as hands-on sessions for which attendees will greatly benefit from interactions with the course and workshop faculty members.

Medical/Health Physicists, Nuclear Medicine Technologists, Nuclear Medicine Physicians, Radiologists, Radiation Therapists, Biomedical Engineers, Radiobiologists, Radiochemists, Medical Technologists, Research Technologists, Nurses, Healthcare Administrators, Vendor Representatives and Students.