This guideline outlines the use of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography / computed tomography for the diagnosis and management of infectious and inflammatory diseases. It provides detailed recommendations for healthcare providers on patient preparation, imaging procedures, and the interpretation of results. Adapted from international standards and tailored to local clinical practices, the guideline emphasizes safety, quality control, and effective use of the technology in various conditions, including spinal infections, diabetic foot, osteomyelitis, vasculitis, and cardiac inflammation. The aim is to assist nuclear medicine professionals in delivering accurate diagnoses and improving patient outcomes while allowing flexibility to adapt to individual patient needs, technological advancements, and evolving medical knowledge. This document is a comprehensive resource for enhancing the quality and safety of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography / computed tomography for the evaluation of infectious and inflammatory diseases.Preamble The Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine (KSNM) was established in 1961 to promote the clinical and technological advancement of nuclear medicine in South Korea, with members that include nuclear medicine physicians and associated scientists. The KSNM regularly formulates and revises procedural guidelines for nuclear medicine examinations to enhance the field and improve the quality of patient care. These guidelines are designed to support healthcare professionals in providing appropriate medical care to patients. However, they are not immutable rules or mandatory requirements for conducting examinations.Therefore, KSNM states that these guidelines should not be used in legal actions challenging a healthcare professional’s medical decisions. The ultimate judgment regarding specific procedures or appropriate measures should be made by nuclear medicine physicians, considering the unique circumstances of each case. Deviation from these guidelines does not imply substandard medical practice. Rather, reasonable judgments differing from the guidelines can be made based on the patient’s condition, available resources, and advancements in knowledge or technology. Due to the diversity and complexity of patients, it is often challenging to predict the most appropriate diagnostic and accurate therapeutic responses. Thus, adherence to these guidelines does not always guarantee an exact diagnosis or successful outcomes.The purpose of this guideline is to assist healthcare providers in making reasonable decisions and conducting effective and safe examinations based on current medical knowledge, available resources, and patient needs when performing 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) examinations for infectious/ inflammatory diseases.

This guideline outlines the use of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography / computed tomography for the diagnosis and management of infectious and inflammatory diseases. It provides detailed recommendations for healthcare providers on patient preparation, imaging procedures, and the interpretation of results. Adapted from international standards and tailored to local clinical practices, the guideline emphasizes safety, quality control, and effective use of the technology in various conditions, including spinal infections, diabetic foot, osteomyelitis, vasculitis, and cardiac inflammation. The aim is to assist nuclear medicine professionals in delivering accurate diagnoses and improving patient outcomes while allowing flexibility to adapt to individual patient needs, technological advancements, and evolving medical knowledge. This document is a comprehensive resource for enhancing the quality and safety of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography / computed tomography for the evaluation of infectious and inflammatory diseases.Preamble The Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine (KSNM) was established in 1961 to promote the clinical and technological advancement of nuclear medicine in South Korea, with members that include nuclear medicine physicians and associated scientists. The KSNM regularly formulates and revises procedural guidelines for nuclear medicine examinations to enhance the field and improve the quality of patient care. These guidelines are designed to support healthcare professionals in providing appropriate medical care to patients. However, they are not immutable rules or mandatory requirements for conducting examinations.Therefore, KSNM states that these guidelines should not be used in legal actions challenging a healthcare professional’s medical decisions. The ultimate judgment regarding specific procedures or appropriate measures should be made by nuclear medicine physicians, considering the unique circumstances of each case. Deviation from these guidelines does not imply substandard medical practice. Rather, reasonable judgments differing from the guidelines can be made based on the patient’s condition, available resources, and advancements in knowledge or technology. Due to the diversity and complexity of patients, it is often challenging to predict the most appropriate diagnostic and accurate therapeutic responses. Thus, adherence to these guidelines does not always guarantee an exact diagnosis or successful outcomes.The purpose of this guideline is to assist healthcare providers in making reasonable decisions and conducting effective and safe examinations based on current medical knowledge, available resources, and patient needs when performing 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) examinations for infectious/ inflammatory diseases.

Background: The accuracy of Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) mappings is reportedly low, and the LOINC codes used for research purposes in Korea have not been validated for accuracy or usability. Our study aimed to evaluate the discrepancies and similarities in interoperability using existing LOINC mappings in actual patient care settings. Methods: We collected data on local test codes and their corresponding LOINC mappings from seven university hospitals. Our analysis focused on laboratory tests that are frequently requested, excluding clinical microbiology and molecular tests. Codes from nationwide proficiency tests served as intermediary benchmarks for comparison. A research team, comprising clinical pathologists and terminology experts, utilized the LOINC manual to reach a consensus on determining the most suitable LOINC codes. Results: A total of 235 LOINC codes were designated as optimal codes for 162 frequent tests.Among these, 51 test items, including 34 urine tests, required multiple optimal LOINC codes, primarily due to unnoted properties such as whether the test was quantitative or qualitative, or differences in measurement units. We analyzed 962 LOINC codes linked to 162 tests across seven institutions, discovering that 792 (82.3%) of these codes were consistent. Inconsistencies were most common in the analyte component (38 inconsistencies, 33.3%), followed by the method (33 inconsistencies, 28.9%), and properties (13 inconsistencies, 11.4%). Conclusion This study reveals a significant inconsistency rate of over 15% in LOINC mappings utilized for research purposes in university hospitals, underlining the necessity for expert verification to enhance interoperability in real patient care.

Background: Shortage of organ donors in the Republic of Korea has become a major problem. To address this, it has been questioned whether heart transplant (HTx) allocation should be modified to reduce priority of older patients. We aimed to evaluate post-HTx outcomes according to recipient age and specific pre-HTx conditions using a nationwide prospective cohort. Methods: We analyzed clinical characteristics of 628 patients from the Korean Organ Transplant Registry who received HTx from January 2015 to December 2020. Enrolled recipients were divided into three groups according to age. We also included comorbidities including ambulatory status. Non-ambulatory status was defined as pre-HTx support with either extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, continuous renal replacement therapy, or mechanical ventilation. Results: Of the 628 patients, 195 were < 50 years, 322 were 50–64 years and 111 were ≥ 65years at transplant. Four hundred nine (65.1%) were ambulatory and 219 (34.9%) were nonambulatory. Older recipients tended to have more comorbidities, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and received older donors. Post-HTx survival was significantly lower in older recipients (P = 0.025) and recipients with non-ambulatory status (P < 0.001). However, in contrast to non-ambulatory recipients who showed significant survival differences according to the recipient’s age (P = 0.004), ambulatory recipients showed comparable outcomes (P = 0.465). Conclusion Our results do not support use of age alone as an allocation criterion. Transplant candidate age in combination with some comorbidities such as non-ambulatory status may identify patients at a sufficiently elevated risk at which suitability of HTx should be reconsidered.

Purpose: This study aimed to empirically verify the impact of measurement model selection on research outcomes and their interpretation through an analysis of children’s emotional and social problems measured by the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) using both reflective and formative measurement models. These models were represented by covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) and partial least squares SEM (PLS-SEM), respectively. Methods: This secondary data analysis evaluated children’s emotional and social problems as both reflective and formative constructs. Reflective models were analyzed using CB-SEM, while formative models were assessed using PLS-SEM. Comparisons between these two approaches were based on model fit and parameter estimates. Results: In the CB-SEM analysis, which assumed a reflective measurement model, a model was not identified due to inadequate fit indices and a Heywood case, indicating improper model specification. In contrast, the PLS-SEM analysis, assuming a formative measurement model, demonstrated adequate reliability and validity with significant path coefficients, supporting the appropriateness of the formative model for the PSC. Conclusion The findings indicate that the PSC is more appropriately analyzed as a formative measurement model using PLS-SEM, rather than as a reflective model using CB-SEM. This study highlights the necessity of selecting an appropriate measurement model based on the theoretical and empirical characteristics of constructs in nursing research. Future research should ensure that the nature of measurement variables is accurately reflected in the choice of statistical models to improve the validity of research outcomes.

Incidentally detected gallbladder polyps (GBPs) and gallbladder wall thickening (GBWT) are frequently encountered in clinical practice. However, characterizing GBPs and GBWT in asymptomatic patients can be challenging and may result in overtreatment, including unnecessary follow-ups or surgeries. The Korean Society of Abdominal Radiology (KSAR) Clinical Practice Guideline Committee has developed expert recommendations that focus on standardized imaging interpretation and follow-up strategies for both GBPs and GBWT, with support from the Korean Society of Radiology and KSAR. These guidelines, which address 24 key questions, aim to standardize the approach for the interpretation of imaging findings, reporting, imaging-based workups, and surveillance of incidentally detected GBPs and GBWT. This recommendation promotes evidence-based practice, facilitates communication between radiologists and referring physicians, and reduces unnecessary interventions.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment modality used as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules, recurrent thyroid cancers (RTCs), and primary thyroid microcarcinomas. The Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) initially developed recommendations for the optimal use of RFA for thyroid tumors in 2009 and revised them in 2012 and 2017. As new meaningful evidence has accumulated since 2017 and in response to a growing global interest in the use of RFA for treating malignant thyroid lesions, the task force committee members of the KSThR decided to update the guidelines on the use of RFA for the management of RTCs based on a comprehensive analysis of current literature and expert consensus.

Objective: To establish local diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for pediatric neck CT based on age, weight, and water-equivalent diameter (WED) across multiple university hospitals in South Korea. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study analyzed pediatric neck CT examinations from nine university hospitals, involving patients aged 0–18 years. Data were categorized by age, weight, and WED, and radiation dose metrics, including volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose length product, were recorded. Data retrieval and analysis were conducted using a commercially available dose-management system (Radimetrics, Bayer Healthcare). Local DRLs were established following the International Commission on Radiological Protection guidelines, using the 75th percentile as the reference value. Results: A total of 1159 CT examinations were analyzed, including 169 scans from Institution 1, 132 from Institution 2, 126 from Institution 3, 129 from Institution 4, 128 from Institution 5, 105 from Institution 6, 162 from Institution 7, 127 from Institution 8, and 81 from Institution 9. Radiation dose metrics increased with age, weight, and WED, showing significant variability both within and across institutions. For patients weighing less than 10 kg, the DRL for CTDIvol was 5.2 mGy. In the 10–19 kg group, the DRL was 5.8 mGy; in the 20–39 kg group, 7.6 mGy; in the 40–59 kg group, 11.0 mGy; and for patients weighing 60 kg or more, 16.2 mGy. DRLs for CTDIvol by age groups were as follows: 5.3 mGy for infants under 1 year, 5.7 mGy for children aged 1–4 years, 7.6 mGy for ages 5–9 years, 11.2 mGy for ages 10–14 years, and 15.6 mGy for patients 15 years or older. Conclusion Local DRLs for pediatric neck CT were established based on age, weight, and WED across nine university hospitals in South Korea.