Letter from the Editors

Article Outline

• Copyright

This is the first of a two-part issue of Seminars in Nuclear Medicine devoted to the variations and effects of age on normal structures in imaging. The subject matter was suggested to the editors by Dr. Abass Alavi, who is a frequent contributor to the journal. He has not only guest edited these two issues with Dr. Drew Torigian, but has also participated in many of the articles that are being published. Dr. Alavi is a remarkable individual in that, at a time of life when most people are beginning to slow down, he seems to be gaining impetus and increasing his contributions both in volume and in value.

These two issues are extremely important to anyone who deals with medical imaging. One of the most difficult problems we face is differentiating between normal variations and disease. Unfortunately, the medical literature is not devoted in great depth to these variations, leaving much of the learning to an individual’s personal experience. The great importance of a knowledge of variations and the effects of age on body function and structure is illustrated by the experience of one of the editors (M.D.B.). A friend of his, who is a layperson, was very upset by a report of a specialist physician who had just seen his son and said that he might have a serious problem and perhaps cancer. The son was investigated for gynecomastia and had a number of hormone levels checked. The knowledge that the endocrinologist was lacking was that, at the age of this young man, the normal level of the hormone in question is much higher than that found in an adult and was well within the normal range. Thus, a lack of understanding of the effects of age on organ function led to an erroneous diagnosis of cancer. Although mistakes will continue to happen, they can be avoided by a good understanding of these changes.

This issue deals with structure and function above the diaphragm. The following articles are uniformly well written, carefully thought out, and informative. Although they are review articles, they contain a wealth of new information. Their contents should serve as a major reference for anyone involved in diagnostic imaging.