International Conference on Hybrid Imaging (IPET 2024)

Background

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is organizing the International Conference on Hybrid Imaging (IPET 2024), following the success of IPET 2007 (Bangkok, Thailand), IPET 2011(Vienna, Austria), IPET 2015 (Vienna, Austria) and IPET 2020 (virtual event at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria).

Medical imaging technology is one of the most revolutionary innovations in the medical world and it has transformed health care. It plays a fundamental role in the management of patients with a broad spectrum of pathologies, including both noncommunicable diseases (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative disorders) and transmissible, infectious diseases. A wide range of clinical scenarios depend on medical imaging, including early diagnosis, the evaluation of disease location and spread, the establishment of a prognosis, support in the selection of the appropriate therapy, the evaluation of therapy response and patient follow-up. In this era of vast scientific and technological developments, physicians are compelled to provide patient-centred care. Medical imaging is essential for paving the way towards personalized medicine, an approach that stratifies patients based on the specific characteristics of their illness so as to tailor the most appropriate medical intervention.

Medical imaging encompasses technologies such as ultrasonography, X-rays, mammography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET). These various imaging modalities have different and complementary applications, with some providing the evaluation of structures within the body and detecting lesions as small as 2-3 mm, while others visualize the function of different organs and tissues in vivo. Hybrid imaging is an integral part of this approach since it provides complementary visual and quantitative information – morphological and functional insights into the living body.

The IPET 2024 conference will provide clinicians and imaging specialists with an international forum to critically examine the pivotal role of multimodality imaging techniques and their streamlined and emerging clinical applications, with special emphasis on SPECT-CT, PET-CT, and PET-MR for cancer management within adult and paediatric populations. As well, it will critically assess current clinical indications of radiopharmaceutical therapies in cancer management, using an evidence-based approach.

The conference’s special session on Ethics, Leadership, Education and Patient Advocacy will provide participants with the opportunity to review the necessary theoretical tools for them to become leaders within their respective professions.

Participants will be awarded an appropriate number of accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits.