Perhaps you are a physician with a mystifying patient – all the medications you have tried have not worked. You are beginning to wonder what could possibly be going on in their brain. You think to yourself perhaps this is the patient on whom I should get a SPECT scan.
Perhaps you are a patient who has been to doctor after doctor and tried five or more medications. Nothing seems to help and you are beginning to wonder what could possibly be going on in your brain.
But how does one order a SPECT scan?
Well, we have prepared a step-by-step protocol for ordering a SPECT scan with the 3-D post processing images you will see elsewhere on the ISAN website.
Getting a brain SPECT in Ontario is not difficult. The technology is widespread and any nuclear medicine department should be able to perform it.
The following Toronto-area Hospitals should be able to perform brain SPECT:
However, the above mentioned sites are unlikely to employ the 3-D post- processing of brain SPECT with the surface rendering and 3D images shown throughout the ISAN website.
There may also be restrictions regarding acceptance of patients based on geography of the referring doctor or patient residence. Each facility will likely have different rules.
There will likely be slight differences in procedure of ordering a brain SPECT but there overall, the procedure will be:
1. Get a nuclear medicine requisition from your local hospital. Most of these are now online. Look up the hospital online and navigate to the nuclear medicine ordering webpage. There usually is an order form you would fill out online. Sometimes you can download and print out a pdf.
2. Write “Brain Perfusion SPECT” on the requisition, provide the patient information, including a good contact phone number for the patient, and provide all your information as the ordering physician. If the form is completed online, you can simply submit it. If it needs to be faxed in, you want to fax it to the nuclear medicine department. This may require a phone call to get thatfax number if it is not on the website.
If you cannot find the requisition form online, then there are a few options. You can call the nuclear medicine department (again, this may require going through the hospital operator to get to the nuclear medicine department) and ask that they fax or email a requisition to you. Alternatively, you can just write the requisition on a prescription.
1. Writing a prescription for a perfusion SPECT scan is fairly straightforward. Be sure to include the patient’s name, date of birth, address, and phone number. Make sure your name, address and phone number are on the prescription. Write “Brain Perfusion SPECT” as the procedure you are ordering. DON’T just write “SPECT”, the nuclear medicine department performs brain, bone, and cardiac SPECT studies. Make certain that you sign the prescription.
2. Alternatively, you can prepare a letter to the nuclear medicine department of the hospital. Be specific that the letter is to the Nuclear Medicine Department.Be sure to include the patient’s name, date of birth, address, and phone number. Make sure your name, address and phone number are included in the letter. Write “Brain Perfusion SPECT” as the procedure you are ordering. DON’T just write “SPECT”, the nuclear medicine department performs brain, bone, and cardiac SPECT studies. Make sure that you sign the letter.
Toronto
Obtaining a Brain SPECT Scan
Perhaps you are a physician with a mystifying patient – all the medications you have tried have not worked. You are beginning to wonder what could possibly be going on in their brain. You think to yourself perhaps this is the patient on whom I should get a SPECT scan.
Perhaps you are a patient who has been to doctor after doctor and tried five or more medications. Nothing seems to help and you are beginning to wonder what could possibly be going on in your brain.
But how does one order a SPECT scan?
Well, we have prepared a step-by-step protocol for ordering a SPECT scan with the 3-D post processing images you will see elsewhere on the ISAN website.
Getting a brain SPECT in Ontario is not difficult. The technology is widespread and any nuclear medicine department should be able to perform it.
The following Toronto-area Hospitals should be able to perform brain SPECT:
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada
Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth St, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada
St. Michael’s Hospital, 30 Bond St, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5G 1X5, Canada
North York General, 4001 Leslie St, North York, ON M2K 1E1, Canada
St.Joseph’s Health Centre, 30 The Queensway, Toronto, ON M6R 1B5, Canada
Humber River Hospital, 1235 Wilson Ave, Toronto, ON M3M 3G7, Canada
Outside of Toronto, the following Ontario hospitals are suggested:
Trillium Health Partners – Mississauga Hospital, 100 Queensway W,Mississauga, ON L5B 1B8, Canada
WilliamOsler Health System – Brampton Civic Hospital, 2100 BovairdDr E, Brampton, ONL6R 3J7, Canada
Scarborough Health Network – General hospital, 3050 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough, ON M1P2V5, Canada
Hamilton General Hospital, 237 Barton St E, Hamilton, ON L8L 2X2, Canada
Mackenzie Health, 10 Trench St, Richmond Hill, ON 4C 4Z3
Southlake Regional Health Centre, 596 Davis Dr, Newmarket, ON L3Y 2P9
However, the above mentioned sites
However, the above mentioned sites are unlikely to employ the 3-D post- processing of brain SPECT with the surface rendering and 3D images shown throughout the ISAN website.
There may also be restrictions regarding acceptance of patients based on geography of the referring doctor or patient residence. Each facility will likely have different rules.
There will likely be slight differences in procedure of ordering a brain SPECT but there overall, the procedure will be:
1. Get a nuclear medicine requisition from your local hospital. Most of these are now online. Look up the hospital online and navigate to the nuclear medicine ordering webpage. There usually is an order form you would fill out online. Sometimes you can download and print out a pdf.
2. Write “Brain Perfusion SPECT” on the requisition, provide the patient information, including a good contact phone number for the patient, and provide all your information as the ordering physician. If the form is completed online, you can simply submit it. If it needs to be faxed in, you want to fax it to the nuclear medicine department. This may require a phone call to get thatfax number if it is not on the website.
If you cannot find the requisition form online, then there are a few options. You can call the nuclear medicine department (again, this may require going through the hospital operator to get to the nuclear medicine department) and ask that they fax or email a requisition to you. Alternatively, you can just write the requisition on a prescription.
1. Writing a prescription for a perfusion SPECT scan is fairly straightforward. Be sure to include the patient’s name, date of birth, address, and phone number. Make sure your name, address and phone number are on the prescription. Write “Brain Perfusion SPECT” as the procedure you are ordering. DON’T just write “SPECT”, the nuclear medicine department performs brain, bone, and cardiac SPECT studies. Make certain that you sign the prescription.
2. Alternatively, you can prepare a letter to the nuclear medicine department of the hospital. Be specific that the letter is to the Nuclear Medicine Department.Be sure to include the patient’s name, date of birth, address, and phone number. Make sure your name, address and phone number are included in the letter. Write “Brain Perfusion SPECT” as the procedure you are ordering. DON’T just write “SPECT”, the nuclear medicine department performs brain, bone, and cardiac SPECT studies. Make sure that you sign the letter.