Annex B. NM Diagnostic activity by country – Data sources and comparability
Estimates of the number of procedures in Chapter 2 are collated from various sources described in the table below. Some estimates include all NM diagnostic procedures for which the use of Tc-99m is possible (single- and multi-phase planar scintigraphies, SPECT and SPECT/CT), irrespective of the radioisotope actually used, while some estimates only include procedures using Tc-99m. All estimates exclude NM diagnostic procedures for which the use of Tc-99m can be ruled out (e.g. PET).
Estimates in of the proportion of procedures by organ system in Chapter 2 are based on the same data sources and described below. For Australia, only Medicare statistics are used to estimate the proportion of scans by organ systems; no data are available on activity in public hospitals and other providers that are not subsidised by Medicare.