THE PET CT TRAINING INSTITUTE, LLC
NAPLES, FLORIDA

Mission Statement To provide high quality professional Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging compliance, accreditation, registry review, and continuing education through excellent programming, comprehensive support services and resources, and expand markets and utilization as a major outreach arm of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Technologist Section, ARRT, and NMTCB, and to advance the integration of teaching and learning with technology. The PET/CT Training Institute provides educational programs for a diverse student body in traditional, nontraditional and online delivery formats. The main eCampus is located in Naples, Florida.  Through quality teaching, The PET/CT Training Institute is committed to provide all students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary for successful employment. Committed to a students' first philosophy, The PET/CT Training Institute prepares graduate technologist for careers in Nuclear Medicine, CT, MR, Nuclear Cardiology and PET/CT careers.   Inherent in our Mission is service to the community. This service includes community partnerships, involvement with various constituencies and various continuing education programs. The following objectives are designed to meet The PET/CT Training Institute's mission and objectives. To provide a resource for obtaining continuous education credits hours for maintaining compliance of applicable state licenses. To provide student's a pathway to the NMTCB certification board via Alternative Eligibility. To provide a database of Mock Registry Review questions in CT, MR, Nuclear Medicine, PET, and Nuclear Cardiology. Provide a virtual location for students and faculty to gather and discuss educational materials. With the help of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, scientists and healthcare providers are: In conventional diagnostic imaging, an external source of energy such as x-rays, magnetic fields or ultrasound waves is used to produce pictures of bone and soft tissue. In nuclear medicine and molecular imaging procedures, the energy source is introduced into the body, where it gets incorporated in a specific tissue, organ or process and is then detected by an external device (gamma camera, SPECT or PET scanners) to provide information on organ function and cellular activity.  • In addition to helping physicians diagnose dementia, nuclear imaging now offers imaging agents that successfully identify early changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease. In the laboratory, nuclear medicine and molecular imaging technologies are helping scientists in a variety of disciplines gain a better understanding of the molecular pathways and mechanisms of disease. By helping researchers quickly assess new therapies, nuclear medicine and molecular imaging are also contributing to the accelerated development of new and more effective drugs. produce a signal that can be detected by a gamma camera or a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. Non-nuclear molecular imaging modalities, including optical imaging and targeted ultrasound, use nonradioactive probes such as light or sound. MR spectroscopy uses differences in magnetism to measure chemical levels in the body without the use of a probe. FDG is a compound similar to glucose, or sugar, which accumulates in areas of the body that are most metabolically active (using glucose at a high rate). After FDG is injected into the patient’s bloodstream and allowed to accumulate for a short time, the PET scanner then creates images that show the distribution of the radiotracer throughout the body, which helps determine if abnormalities are present. For example, highly active cancer cells Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a very significant and common imaging procedure that also involves the injection of a radiotracer into the patient’s bloodstream, where it accumulates in a target organ or attaches to specific cells. A gamma camera then rotates around the patient, collecting data to create three-dimensional images of radiotracer distribution that reveal information on blood flow and organ function. Many SPECT studies are combined with CT studies. Researchers hope that information from PET studies will soon help physicians predict which patients will respond to a specific chemotherapy drug. New radiotracers are also being designed to identify biological conditions within the body (called biomarkers) that signal the presence of cancer and to capture important information on tumors that will guide physicians in selecting the most effective treatment plan.  PET scans with amyloid imaging agents (such as the recently approved agents Amyvid®, Vizamyl®, and Neuraceq®) reveal the extent and location of amyloid plaque in the brain, which may, in conjunction with a clinical evaluation and other diagnostic tests, help in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. SPECT is also helpful in identifying the location and cause of a stroke, as well as areas of the brain that are at risk following a stroke. A newly approved radiotracer for SPECT (called DaTscan®) is expected to help evaluate the cause of tremors and to differentiate between essential tremor and Parkinsonian syndromes.  An essential tool for basic research, optical imaging has the potential to help patients in the future by: Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy is a variation of conventional MR imaging that provides information on the concentration of chemical compounds—called metabolites—inside the body. MR spectroscopy aids in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and metabolic disorders—especially those affecting the brain. Researchers also hope MR spectroscopy will prove helpful in detecting recurring cancer, as a guide for radiation therapy and in distinguishing malignant from healthy tissue in the breast and prostate.