The rapid growth of multimodality imaging in Europe Multimodality (MM) imaging: Enhancement through interlacing : A vision paper commissioned by the boards of the NVvR and NVNG.

摘要

In the changing world of medicine, fused and hybrid imaging with SPECT/CT, PET/CT and other modalities is undergoing very rapid growth, with important professional implications. In 2005, the leaderships of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine and the European Society of Radiology, as well as the UEMS Sections of both specialties, started discussing areas of common interest in order to define avenues for potential cooperation and to advance multimodality imaging in medicine. The first result of this process was the "White paper of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine and the European Society of Radiology on multimodality imaging". Acknowledging the fact that nuclear medicine and clinical radiology are separate medical specialties recognised by the European Union, this paper set the tone for working together on an equal and constructive basis for the future benefit of both disciplines. The white paper was designed to serve both asa template for further discussions in countries where the two specialties already engage in cooperation and as a stimulus to commence discussions in those countries where this is not the case. It is noteworthy that in 2006 the Netherlands societies of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology established a task group to discuss areas of common interest, to define options for potential cooperation and to advance multimodality imaging in medicine. The major goal of this initiative was to ensure that new technologies are used to the best possible effect in patient care. The two boards were convinced that this goal could only be achieved through close cooperation between nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists. The task group set up by the Netherlands societies was charged with identifying the concrete steps that need to be taken at this early stage, such as: What adaptations should be made to the curricula for trainee specialists? How should the further education of registered medical specialists and fellowships be arranged? What will be the consequences for clinical tasks? The following article presents the shared vision of the boards of the Netherlands societies of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology and clearly indicates the steps that need to be considered if we are to reach our goals. This initiative is entirely consistent with developments on the European level and further demonstrates that clinical reality has made close collaboration a self-evident objective.