Hruska CB, Phillips SW, Whaley DH, Rhodes DJ, O'Connor MK Molecular breast imaging: use of a dual-head dedicated gamma camera to detect small breast tumors. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2008 Dec;191(6):1805-15. doi: 10.2214/AJR.07.3693.
Ketchum LE New equipment in nuclear medicine, part 1: solid-state detectors. J Nucl Med. 1998 Nov;39(11):15N, 35N-36N.
Tsuchimochi M, Hayama K, Oda T, Togashi M, Sakahara H Evaluation of the efficacy of a small CdTe gamma-camera for sentinel lymph node biopsy. J Nucl Med. 2008 Jun;49(6):956-62. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.108.050740. Epub 2008 May 15.
Evaluation of a New CZT System for Imaging in Routine Nuclear Medicine Examination
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.