Corscan

2010 review complete

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 PHYSICS AND INSTRUMENTATION

1. Basic physics as applied to clinical imaging (e.g., isotope decay, decay modes, generators, high energy imaging)
2. Gamma cameras, collimation, and equipment quality control procedures
3. Interactions of radiation with matter
4. Attenuation correction, including transmission and CT methods 

 RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS

1. Radiotracer kinetics and characteristics (e.g., thallium-201 and technetium-99m)
2. PET agents
3. Red blood cell tagging

 RADIATION SAFETY  

1. Radiopharmaceutical receiving, handling, monitoring, and containment
2. Handling radiopharmaceutical spills and waste
3. Storage and calibration of radiopharmaceuticals
4. Dosimetry and MIRD
5. Radiation exposure and ALARA
6. Governmental regulations

NUCLEAR CARDIOLOGY DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND PROCEDURES/PROTOCOLS  

1. Image acquisition (e.g., first pass and equilibrium RNA, gating, SPECT)
2. Image processing (e.g., filtering, reorientation, reconstruction, motion correction)
3. Standard conventions as to how images are displayed
4. Exercise and pharmacologic stress protocols
5. Pharmacologic stress agents
6. Artifacts and causes of false-positive and false-negative results
7. Quality control of image processing
8. Quality assurance of interpretation
9. Quantitative aids to interpretation

 GENERAL CARDIOLOGY AS IT RELATES TO IMAGE INTERPRETATION  

1. Coronary anatomy and pathophysiology
2. Unique characteristics of patient subgroups (e.g., patients with diabetes, elderly patients, male vs. female patients)
3. Coronary angiography
4. Stress physiology and testing; ECG and clinical parameters with rest and stress
5. Measurements of left ventricle systolic and diastolic function
6. Valvular disease, cardiomyopathy, hypertension, CHF, myocarditis
7. Endothelial dysfunction
8. Coronary artery disease