ReviewEJNMMI research2026
Acute complications of nuclear medicine: an emergency medicine perspective.
Review in EJNMMI research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNuclear medicine procedures are increasingly integrated into routine clinical practice worldwide, including in low- and middle-income settings. Although radiopharmaceuticals have a well-established safety profile, the growing volume of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures means that acute adverse events, while uncommon, are encountered with sufficient frequency to present to emergency departments. Emergency physicians are often the first clinicians to assess patients with post-procedural symptoms, yet guidance tailored to emergency care remains limited. This review aims to provide an emergency medicine-focused synthesis of the incidence, clinical presentation, and acute management of adverse events associated with nuclear medicine procedures.We conducted a narrative review using a systematic search strategy across PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library, covering publications from January 2020 to December 2024. Studies reporting acute events related to radiopharmaceutical administration, including extravasation, allergic reactions, maladministration, and radiation contamination, were included. Evidence from cohort studies, surveillance registries, systematic reviews, and relevant case reports was synthesized narratively due to methodological heterogeneity. MAIN BODY: Sixty-eight studies encompassing over two million radiopharmaceutical administrations were included. Diagnostic radiopharmaceutical extravasation was common when systematically assessed but rarely resulted in clinically significant harm. Severe allergic reactions and anaphylaxis were exceedingly rare. Maladministration events occurred infrequently and were predominantly associated with diagnostic procedures, with minimal patient harm in most cases. In contrast, extravasation and toxicity related to therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, particularly high-energy beta emitters, carried greater clinical significance. Newer agents such as lutetium-177-labelled therapies demonstrated predictable toxicity profiles, with hematologic adverse events representing the primary emergency care concern.Emerging alpha-emitting theranostic agents such as actinium-225-PSMA-617 demonstrate promising efficacy but may be associated with clinically relevant xerostomia and hematologic toxicity.
conclusionAcute events related to nuclear medicine procedures are uncommon but clinically relevant in emergency practice. Diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals are generally safe and require supportive management, whereas therapeutic radiopharmaceutical complications warrant heightened vigilance and specialist consultation. Familiarity with these presentations can support timely, appropriate emergency care, particularly in settings with limited on-site nuclear medicine expertise.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.