Christophe Van de Wiele, Chabi Sathekge, Justine Maes, Shaobo Li, Laurence Beels, Alex Maes
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single-Photon Emission Computerized tomography (SPECT), pose unique challenges when considering pediatric patient populations. Because both modalities require prolonged acquisition times, often ranging from 20 min to over an hour, minimizing patient motion is critical to prevent motion-related image quality degradation and ensuring diagnostic accuracy. While pharmacological sedation may avoid both problems, it carries inherent clinical risks, operational bottlenecks and comes with increased healthcare costs to society. In this paper, we assess the role of evidence-based, non-pharmacological strategies chronologically across the pediatric patient's journey in the nuclear medicine department. By combining pre-visit psychological preparation, camera familiarization, optimized intravenous (IV) cannulation protocols, tailored physical and modality-specific positioning, and positive aftercare reinforcement, the nuclear medicine staff can optimize diagnostic image quality while prioritizing pediatric patient comfort and safety.