Program Overview

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Program Details

The program in Diagnostic Medicine in Nuclear Medicine is designed to provide students with fundamental knowledge of nuclear medicine diagnostics applied to clinical practice.

Objectives and Contents

The program aims to:

• Provide students with basic notions of medical-nuclear diagnostics
• Offer a general understanding of the main clinical applications of PET and SPECT
• Introduce topics related to the integration of nuclear medicine with other imaging methods (CT, MR, ultrasound)
• Enable students to understand the clinical rationale behind the prescription and execution of a nuclear medicine examination
• Develop skills necessary for collaboration with nuclear medicine physicians in patient management during the diagnostic process
• Foster the ability to evaluate the clinical appropriateness, quality, and radiological safety of diagnostic procedures

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of the program, students will be able to:

• Know the physical and biological principles underlying medical-nuclear diagnostics
• Recognize the main clinical indications for scintigraphic and PET/SPECT exams
• Apply preparation and execution protocols for exams in relation to the clinical question
• Critically evaluate the diagnostic quality of the images obtained
• Distinguish the main pathological conditions in oncology, neurology, cardiology, and internal medicine studied in nuclear medicine
• Compare the diagnostic contributions of nuclear medicine with other imaging techniques for an integrated view of the patient
• Explain the main clinical implications of the results of medical-nuclear exams
• Describe the diagnostic-therapeutic pathways in which nuclear medicine plays a central role

Teaching Methods

The program includes frontal lessons with multimedia support and discussion of clinical cases.

Program Content

The content covers:

• Basic principles of nuclear medicine diagnostics: radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals
• Instrumentation: gamma camera, SPECT/CT, PET/CT, PET/MR
• Bone scintigraphy: clinical applications, staging, restaging
• Renal scintigraphy: evaluation of renal function and urinary tract
• Pulmonary scintigraphy: perfusion and ventilation, diagnosis of pulmonary embolism
• Thyroid and parathyroid scintigraphy: indications and clinical interpretation
• Oncological PET with FDG and non-FDG tracers: clinical applications, staging, restaging, and follow-up
• Nuclear medicine in neurology: PET with FDG, cerebral SPECT, molecular imaging for dementia and parkinsonism
• Cardiological diagnostics in nuclear medicine: myocardial SPECT, PET perfusion, and metabolism
• Radioprotection in the clinical setting: patient and operator safety
• Role of the nuclear medicine technician in the multidisciplinary team and in patient diagnostic pathway management

Texts/Bibliography

• Ambrosini - Fanti Lopci. Compendio di diagnostica medico nucleare. Editore: Esculapio, edizione: III, 2022, ISBN (not provided)

Instructors and Examination Committee

• Instructor: Matteo Bauckneht
• Examination Committee:
  • Maria Claudia Bagnara
  • Matteo Bauckneht
  • Francesca Mattioli
  • Giuseppe Villa
  • Fabrizio Peschiera (President and Coordinator of the integrated course)
  • Gabriel Siclari (Deputy President)

Lessons

Lesson Schedule

The schedule for this course is available on the EasyAcademy portal.

Exams

Examination Method

Oral exam

Assessment Method

The oral exam aims to verify:

• The ability to recognize the main clinical applications of nuclear medicine in different specialist areas
• Competences related to the application of diagnostic protocols and patient safety
• The level of understanding of the integration of nuclear medicine with other imaging techniques

The oral exam allows for the evaluation of mastery of technical-scientific language, the ability to present, clinical reasoning, and the practical application of acquired knowledge to real clinical cases.

Exam Calendar

• Date: 12/01/2026, Time: 14:30, Location: Genova, Type: Written + Oral
• Date: 10/02/2026, Time: 14:30, Location: Genova, Type: Written + Oral
• Date: 16/06/2026, Time: 14:30, Location: Genova, Type: Compitino
• Date: 13/07/2026, Time: 14:30, Location: Genova, Type: Compitino
• Date: 13/07/2026, Time: 14:30, Location: Genova, Type: Oral
• Date: 13/07/2026, Time: 14:30, Location: Genova, Type: Written
• Date: 14/09/2026, Time: 14:30, Location: Genova, Type: Compitino