title: A new era for Nuclear Medicine neuroimaging in Spain: Where do we start from in Spain?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the status of neuroimaging studies of Nuclear Medicine in Spain during 2013 and first quarter of 2014, in order to define the activities of the neuroimaging group of the Spanish Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SEMNIM).
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire of 14 questions was designed, divided into 3 parts: characteristics of the departments (equipment and professionals involved); type of scans and clinical indications; and evaluation methods. The questionnaire was sent to 166 Nuclear Medicine departments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 54 departments distributed among all regions completed the questionnaire. Most departments performed between 300 and 800 neuroimaging examinations per year, representing more than 25 scans per month. The average pieces of equipment were three; half of the departments had a PET/CT scanner and SPECT/CT equipment. Scans performed more frequently were brain SPECT with123I-FP-CIT, followed by brain perfusion SPECT and PET with18F-FDG. The most frequent clinical indications were cognitive impairment followed by movement disorders. For evaluation of the images most sites used only visual assessment, and for the quantitative assessment the most used was quantification by region of interest.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results reflect the clinical activity of 2013 and first quarter of 2014. The main indications of the studies were cognitive impairment and movement disorders. Variability in the evaluation of the studies is among the challenges that will be faced in the coming years.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Balsa
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau i Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona , Barcelona, España. Electronic address: mcamachom@santpau.cat.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Camacho
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital San Pedro y Centro de Investigación Biomédica de la Rioja (CIBIR), Logroño, España.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garrastachu
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital Universtario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, España.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: García-Solís
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Granada (CHGRA) e Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria Granada (IBS), Granada, España.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez-Río
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital Universitari Son Espases e Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Palma, Palma, España.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rubí
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Setoain
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arbizu
mesh_terms: D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004389:Durable Medical Equipment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000639:trends*; D009684:Nuclear Medicine Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
keywords: Medicina Nuclear; Neuroimagen; Neuroimaging; Nuclear Medicine; PET; SPECT