MEDICAL IMAGING PROCEDURES AND METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING MEDICAL IMAGING PROCEDURES

1 . A method for managing a plurality of medical imaging procedures, comprising:

associating a machine readable tag with each of a plurality of patients designated for a plurality of medical imaging procedures;

monitoring a progress of at least one of said plurality of patients in a respective said medical imaging procedure; and

managing at least one medical imaging resource for performing said plurality of medical imaging procedures according to said progress.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said managing comprises adjusting an imaging scanning pattern according to said progress.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of medical imaging procedures are nuclear medical imaging procedures, said monitoring comprises monitoring an order of a radiopharmaceutical preparation (RP) of at least one radioactive isotope and said managing being performed according to said at least one radioactive isotope.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising receiving medical information pertaining to each said patient and providing an estimation of the decay profile of said at least one radioactive isotope in a respective said patient according to respective said medical information, said managing being performed according to said estimation.

5 . A system for monitoring a plurality of imaged patients, comprising:

a resource interface for receiving a status data from at least one medical imaging resource each used in one of a plurality of stages of a imaging procedure;

a patient interface for automatically interfacing with a plurality of medical imaging procedure tags associated with a plurality of patients so as to receive, from each said medical imaging procedure tag, data indicative of the stage of said plurality of stages in which a respective said patient being in; and

a processing unit for allocating said at least one medical imaging resource to said plurality of patients according to said data.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein said processing unit is configured for monitoring a progress of said plurality of patients along said plurality of stages according to said data and generating an alert according to said progress.

7 . The system of claim 6 , further comprising a communication unit for forwarding said alert to at least one of said plurality of medical imaging procedure tags.

8 . The system of claim 5 , wherein said imaging procedure is a nuclear medical imaging procedure and one of said plurality of stages being a radiopharmaceutical preparation (RP) injection having a decay profile, said processing unit being configured to for timing said allocation according to said decay profile.

9 . A method for reporting a progress of a plurality of medical imaging procedures, comprising:

associating a machine readable tag with each of a plurality of patients designated for a plurality of medical imaging procedures;

automatically monitoring a progress of at least one of said plurality of patients in a respective said medical imaging procedure; and

outputting a report indicative of said progress.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising associating a machine readable tag with each of a plurality of radiopharmaceutical preparation (RP) containers designated for said plurality of medical imaging tagged procedures, said monitoring being performed according so a geographic location of said plurality of RP containers.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein said outputting comprises forwarding said report as an alert to a system operator.

12 . A method for preparing at least one pharmaceutical preparation, comprising:

setting a scheduling for a nuclear medicine imaging process of a patient at a clinical center;

establishing a connection between said clinical center and at least one pharmacy; and

sending said scheduling and medical information pertaining to said patient to at least one pharmacy via said connection;

wherein said sending allows said at least one pharmacy to generate a pharmaceutical preparation for said nuclear medicine imaging process according to said medical information and said scheduling.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said sending comprises updating at least one of said scheduling and said medical information, said pharmaceutical preparation being generated according to said updating.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said sending comprises sending pricing information so as to allow said at least one pharmacy to prepare said pharmaceutical preparation according to said pricing information.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said pharmaceutical preparation comprises a mixture of a plurality of isotopic tracers, wherein a ratio between said plurality of isotopic tracers is determined according to at least one of said scheduling and said medical information.

16 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising receiving, via said connection, a notification indicative of at least one of a decline to generate said pharmaceutical preparation and a confirmation for a generation of said pharmaceutical preparation.

17 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising receiving, at said clinical center, said pharmaceutical preparation and monitoring a usage of said pharmaceutical preparation according to said scheduling.

18 . A method for preparing at least one radiopharmaceutical preparation, comprising:

providing a radiopharmaceutical preparation (RP) having at least one radioactive isotope for a nuclear medicine imaging process for a patient;

providing medical information related to said patient;

automatically calculating a concentration-time profile of said RP in said patient according to said medical information and said at least one radioactive isotope; and

automatically scheduling an allocation of at least one medical imaging resource for performing at least one stage of said nuclear medicine imaging process according to said concentration-time profile.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising adjusting at least one imaging session of said medical imaging resource according to said concentration-time profile.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said providing comprises providing a plurality of RPs for a plurality of medical imaging acquisition sessions performed during said nuclear medicine imaging process, said calculating and said scheduling being performed for each said RP.

21 - 66 . (canceled)

67 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said RP comprises at least one dose consisting of at least two of the following components:

Sestamibi Tc 99m ;

Tl201;

Teboroxime Tc 99m ;

Thymidine I 123 ; and

PK-11195 and at least one of I 123 and In 111 .

68 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said RP comprises a plurality of doses each having a different component.

69 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said RP comprises a member from a group consisting of a contrast agent, a stress agent and a pharmaceutical modulating at least one target tissue property.

70 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said RP comprises at least one dose consisting of at least two of the following components:

Sestamibi Tc 99m ;

Arcitumomab carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) Tc 99m ;

Tl201;

Teboroxime Tc 99m ;

Avastin In 111 ;

Thymidine I 123 ; and

PK-11195 and at least one of +I 123 and In 111 .

71 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said RP comprises at least one dose consisting of at least two of the following components:

Sestamibi Tc 99m ;

Tl201;

Teboroxime Tc 99m ;

Herceptin I 123 ; and

PK-11195 and at least one of I 123 and In 111 .

72 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said RP comprises at least one dose consisting of the following components:

Sestamibi Tc 99m ; and

J-591 labeled with In 111 .

73 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said RP comprises at least one dose consisting of at least two of the following components:

Rituxan+In 111 ;

Thymidine I 123 ;

Ga 67 ;

Sestamibi Tc 99m ; and

Teboroxime Tc 99m .

74 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said RP comprises at least one dose consisting of a member of a group consisting of Thallium 201 and Sestamibi Tc 99m in a ratio of about 1:3.5 and Thallium 201 and Sestamibi Tc 99m in a ratio of about 1:3.