June 14, 2023
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and
professional organization founded in 1954 to promote the science, technology, and practical application
of nuclear medicine. The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) is a professional nonprofit
medical association that facilitates communication worldwide between individuals pursuing clinical and
research excellence in nuclear medicine. The EANM was founded in 1985. SNMMI and EANM members
are physicians, technologists, and scientists specializing in the research and practice of nuclear medicine.
The SNMMI and EANM will periodically define new guidelines for nuclear medicine practice to help
advance the science of nuclear medicine and to improve the quality of service for patients throughout
the world. Existing practice guidelines will be reviewed for revision or renewal, as appropriate, on their
fifth anniversary or sooner, if indicated.
Each practice guideline, representing a policy statement by the SNMMI/EANM, has undergone a
thorough consensus process in which it has been subjected to extensive review. The SNMMI/EANM
recognizes that the safe and effective use of diagnostic nuclear medicine imaging requires specific
training, skills, and techniques, as described in each document. Reproduction or modification of the
published practice guideline by those entities not providing these services is not authorized.
These guidelines are an educational tool designed to assist practitioners in providing appropriate care
for patients. They are not inflexible rules or requirements of practice and are not intended, nor should
they be used, to establish a legal standard of care. For these reasons and those set forth below, both the
SNMMI and the EANM caution against the use of these guidelines in litigation in which the clinical
decisions of a practitioner are called into question.
The ultimate judgment regarding the propriety of any specific procedure or course of action must be
made by the physician or medical physicist in light of all the circumstances presented. Thus, there is no
implication that an approach differing from the guidelines, standing alone, is below the standard of care.
To the contrary, a conscientious practitioner may responsibly adopt a course of action different from
that set forth in the guidelines when, in the reasonable judgment of the practitioner, such course of
action is indicated by the condition of the patient, limitations of available resources, or advances in
knowledge or technology subsequent to publication of the guidelines.
The practice of medicine includes both the art and the science of the prevention, diagnosis, alleviation,
and treatment of disease. The variety and complexity of human conditions make it impossible to always
reach the most appropriate diagnosis or to predict with certainty a particular response to treatment.
Therefore, it should be recognized that adherence to these guidelines will not ensure an accurate
diagnosis or a successful outcome. All that should be expected is that the practitioner will follow a
reasonable course of action on the basis of current knowledge, available resources, and the needs of the
patient to deliver effective and safe medical care. The sole purpose of these guidelines is to assist
practitioners in achieving this objective.