Abbreviations & Glossary
A quick-reference key to the acronyms used across nuclear medicine
Quick Answer
A consolidated key to the abbreviations and core terms used throughout the atlas — grouped by domain. Where a term has a dedicated page, the relevant chapter goes deeper; this page is for fast disambiguation.
Physics, Instrumentation & Quantitation
- ALARA — As Low As Reasonably Achievable
- AC / SC — Attenuation Correction / Scatter Correction
- CZT — Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (solid-state detector)
- EARL — EANM Research Ltd (SUV harmonization/accreditation)
- FBP / OSEM — Filtered Back-Projection / Ordered-Subset Expectation Maximization
- FWHM — Full-Width at Half-Maximum (resolution)
- LAFOV — Long-Axial-Field-of-View (total-body PET)
- LEHR / ME / HE — Low-Energy High-Resolution / Medium-Energy / High-Energy (collimator)
- LET — Linear Energy Transfer
- MIP — Maximum-Intensity Projection
- PSF / TOF — Point-Spread-Function modelling / Time-Of-Flight
- SiPM — Silicon Photomultiplier (digital PET)
- SPECT / PET — Single-Photon-Emission CT / Positron-Emission Tomography
- SUV / SUL / SUVpeak — Standardized Uptake Value / lean-body-mass-normalized / peak
- TEDE — Total Effective Dose Equivalent
Dosimetry, Safety & Regulatory
- AU / RSO — Authorized User / Radiation Safety Officer
- BED — Biologically Effective Dose
- DIS — Decay-In-Storage
- Gy / Sv — Gray (absorbed dose) / Sievert (equivalent/effective dose)
- LNT — Linear No-Threshold (stochastic-risk model)
- MIRD — Medical Internal Radiation Dose (schema; D = Ã × S)
- NRC — Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Ã / τ — Cumulated activity / Residence time
- T½ (phys/biol/eff) — physical / biological / effective half-life
Cardiac
- CFR / MFR — Coronary / Myocardial Flow Reserve
- CTRCD — Cancer-Therapy-Related Cardiac Dysfunction
- ERNA / MUGA — Equilibrium Radionuclide Angiography / Multigated Acquisition
- H/M ratio — Heart-to-Mediastinum ratio (I-123-MIBG)
- LVEF / EDV / ESV — LV Ejection Fraction / End-Diastolic / End-Systolic Volume
- MBF — Myocardial Blood Flow
- MPI — Myocardial Perfusion Imaging
- SSS / SRS / SDS — Summed Stress / Rest / Difference Score
- TID — Transient Ischemic Dilation
Oncology, Theranostics & Reporting
- CUP — Carcinoma of Unknown Primary
- Deauville — 5-point lymphoma metabolic-response scale
- GEP-NET — Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor
- mCRPC — metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
- PERCIST / RECIST — PET Response Criteria / Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors
- PRRT — Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy
- PROMISE / PSMA-RADS — PSMA reporting frameworks (miTNM / lesion certainty)
- RECIP 1.0 — Response Evaluation Criteria In PSMA PET/CT
- RLT / RPT / TAT — Radioligand / Radiopharmaceutical Therapy / Targeted Alpha Therapy
- SIRT / TARE — Selective Internal Radiation Therapy / Trans-Arterial RadioEmbolization
- SSTR — Somatostatin Receptor
- Krenning — SSTR-uptake grade (0–4; 3–4 → PRRT)
Tracers & Targets (selected)
- DOTATATE — DOTA-octreotate (SSTR2 PET)
- FAPI — Fibroblast-Activation-Protein Inhibitor
- FDG — Fluorodeoxyglucose
- FDOPA — Fluoro-DOPA (amino-acid/catecholamine)
- FES — Fluoroestradiol (ER)
- FLT / FMISO / FAZA — Fluorothymidine (proliferation) / hypoxia nitroimidazoles
- MAA — Macroaggregated Albumin (perfusion; Y-90 mapping)
- MAG3 / DTPA / DMSA — renal tubular / glomerular / cortical agents
- MDP / HDP — diphosphonate bone agents
- MIBG — Meta-Iodo-Benzyl-Guanidine (NET/uptake-1)
- NaF — Sodium Fluoride (bone PET)
- PSMA — Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen
- RBC / SC — labeled Red Blood Cells / Sulfur Colloid
Endocrine, Renal & Other
- DTC / MTC — Differentiated / Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma
- GBEF — Gallbladder Ejection Fraction (CCK-HIDA)
- GFR / ERPF — Glomerular Filtration Rate / Effective Renal Plasma Flow
- MEN — Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia
- NIS — Sodium-Iodide Symporter
- RAI / RAIU — Radioactive Iodine / RAI Uptake
- rhTSH — recombinant human TSH (Thyrogen)
- VUR — Vesicoureteral Reflux
Board Pearls
Learn the quantitation and scoring acronyms cold — SUV/SUL, MBF/MFR, SSS/SRS/SDS, TID, Krenning, Deauville, PERCIST/RECIST, RECIP — because reporting is expressed in them, and a score communicates management where a description does not.
Keep the therapy family straight: RLT/RPT (radioligand/radiopharmaceutical therapy), PRRT (SSTR peptide), TAT (alpha), SIRT/TARE (Y-90 liver) — each with distinct targets, isotopes, and organs at risk.
Related Pages
- Reporting: Structured reporting & standardized systems; synthesis: Radiopharmaceutical targets & mechanisms, thresholds & decision cutoffs.
Self-Check
Q1. Expand SSS, SRS, and SDS — and state which is the ischemia number.
Answer: Summed Stress / Rest / Difference Score; SDS (= SSS − SRS) is the reversible/ischemia number.
Q2. What do PRRT, TAT, and SIRT/TARE each denote?
Answer: PRRT = Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (SSTR); TAT = Targeted Alpha Therapy; SIRT/TARE = Selective Internal Radiation Therapy / Trans-Arterial RadioEmbolization (Y-90 liver).
Q3. Define NIS and rhTSH and where they matter.
Answer: NIS = Sodium-Iodide Symporter (thyroid iodine trapping); rhTSH = recombinant human TSH (Thyrogen), used to stimulate uptake for thyroid-cancer RAI/scanning.
Q4. What does the Krenning score grade, and what value indicates PRRT suitability?
Answer: Somatostatin-receptor uptake (0–4) against reference organs; 3–4 (uptake ≥ liver) indicates PRRT suitability.
Evidence & sources
https://nuc.med/abbreviations-glossary/ Report an issue