Clinical PET/CT utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic: initial experience at Yale University. Issue 11 (November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Adin, Mehmet Emin; Uezono, Haruka; Isufi, Edvin; Pang, Yulei; Zucconi, William; Saperstein, Lawrence; Pucar, Darko
• Is Part Of: Nuclear medicine communications. Volume 42:Issue 11(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Subjects: cancer imaging -- coronavirus disease 2019 -- North America -- pandemics -- PET/CT -- severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Nuclear medicine -- Periodicals; 616.07575
• DOI: 10.1097/MNM.0000000000001445
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-3636

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: To determine temporal changes in PET/CT utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic and examine the impact of epidemiologic, demographic and oncologic factors on PET/CT utilization. Methods: Clinical PET-CT utilization between 1 January 2020 and 15 June 2020 at a tertiary academic center was assessed using change-point-detection (CPD) analysis. COVID-19 epidemiologic trend was obtained from Connecticut Department of Public Health records. Demographic and oncologic data were gathered from electronic medical records and PET-CT scans by four reviewers in consensus. Results: A total of 1685 cases were reviewed. CPD analysis identified five distinct phases of PET-CT utilization during COVID-19, with a sharp decline and a gradual recovery. There was a 62.5% decline in case volumes at the nadir. These changes correlated with COVID-19 epidemiologic changes in the state of Connecticut, with a negative correlation between COVID-19 cases and PET-CT utilization (τ = −0.54; P value < 0.001). Statistically significant differences in age, race, cancer type and current and prior scan positivity were observed in these five phases. A greater percentage of young patients and minorities were scanned during the pandemic relative to baseline. PET/CT scanning was less impacted for hematologic malignancies than for solid cancers, with less profound decline and better recovery. Discussion: PET-CT cancer imaging was vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic at our institution. Epidemiologic, demographic and oncologic factors affected PET-CT utilization.