Dear Sirs and Madams,

It is my great pleasure to introduce the first issue of Nuclear Medicine Review for 2013. The section “Original articles” starts with a very interesting paper written by Italian colleagues from Brescia — “Role of F-18-FDG PET/CT in restaging patients affected by renal carcinoma”. The authors concluded that this method is characterised by high specificity and positive predictive value but, due to low negative predictive value, cannot be recommended for definitely ruling out suspected disease relapse. The second paper titled ”Optimization of image reconstruction method for SPECT studies performed using [99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC] octreotate in patients with neuroendocrine tumours“ by authors from Krakow/Poland showed that OSEM 3D Flash reconstruction seems to be superior to FBP technique in interpretation of Somatostatin Receptor Scintigraphy. According to the next article by researchers from Ostrava/Czech titled „Sentinel lymph nodes and planar scintigraphy and SPECT/CT in various types of tumours. Estimation of some factors influencing detection success“, it appears that in some patients with gynaecologic and breast cancers and melanomas, the addition of SPECT/CT to planar lymphoscintigraphy improves detection of sentinel lymph nodes and that the difference in the number of detected SLNs is influenced by age but not by BMI.

“Estimation of sacroiliac joint index in normal subjects of various age groups: comparative evaluation of four different methods of quantification in skeletal scintigraphy” is the title of the next original paper from Mumbai/India. The authors concluded that the method of selecting a region of interest has no significant effect on the calculation of SIJ index. The maximal and minimal values are obtained in patients aged below 20 years and above 60 years, respectively.

In their article “Quantitative evaluation of crossed cerebellar diaschisis, using voxel-based analysis of Tc-99m ECD brain SPECT”, the colleagues form Lublin/Poland stated that in the chronic stage of stroke, the size and severity of the supratentorial lesion are determinant of CCD, correlating with the degree of cerebellar hypoperfusion.

The Review section of current Nuclear Medicine Review contains a paper titled “Neurological applications for myocardial MIBG scintigraphy” written by scientists from Italy. The paper discusses the problem of MIBG and the role of sympathetic cardiac innervations.

In this issue of Nuclear Medicine Review, an interesting clinical case of 18F-FDG PET finding of an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm leading to fatal rupture is discussed by Czech authors from Brno. Another case study, concerning a false-positive defects on exercise 99mTc-sestamibi SPECT imaging, but not on dipyridamole 99mTc-sestamibi SPECT imaging, in a patient with right bundle branch block (RBBB), is presented by Iranian authors.

The section “Past Events” includes a short report from the 13th Convention of Polish Society of Nuclear Medicine “Molecular imaging and targeted radioisotope therapy — the new face of nuclear medicine” (which took place in Kielce from 19 to 22 of September 2012) written by Prof. Janusz Braziewicz, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee.

The letter to Editor is an interesting continuation of a discussion initiated by the article concerning rate dependent left bundle branch block that was published in the last issue of Nuclear Medicine Review: Does it have any effect on the myocardial perfusion SPECT?

After nice meeting in Milan during European Congress of Nuclear Medicine, I hope to create warmer and more successful cooperation between national societies of nuclear medicine. Now we have three National Editors: Dr. Ildikó Garai from the Hungarian Society, Prof. Dragana Sobic Saranovic nominated by the Serbian Society and Prof. Dražen Huić from the Croatian Society of Nuclear Medicine. We are looking forward to further editors from the European Societies who would help to leverage the importance of our Journal.

I would like to wish all our readers happy New Year.

Yours

Grzegorz Kamiński

Editor-in-Chief

Nuclear Medicine Review