NEMA offers standards for non-imaging intraoperative gamma probes

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has released NU 3-2004, Performance Measurements and Quality Control Guidelines for Non-Imaging Intraoperative Gamma Probes.

This standards publication provides uniform criteria for conducting and reporting performance measurements and quality control tests of non-imaging intraoperative gamma probes for surgical applications. The quality control tests are recommended to ensure diagnostic accuracy in clinical practice. A gamma probe detects radioactivity in the body and accurately track the spread of cancer.

NEMA said that NU 3-2004 is the first known intraoperative gamma probe standard of its kind. Until now, there were no recognized, existing quality control guidelines or performance measurement standards to address the clinical practice of sentinel node detection for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

NU 3-2004 may be purchased for $56.00 by visiting  www.nema.org/r/std/nu3/, or by contacting Global Engineering Documents at (800) 854-7179 (within the U.S.), (303) 397-7956 (international), or (303) 397-2740 (fax).

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