NMTCB PET EXAM REVIEW Exam 2026
(500 Questions) – NMTCB Nuclear
Medicine Technology – Ventilation Scans,
Radiation Physics &
Radiopharmaceuticals
Mixed Attentuation - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Malignant Pulmonary Nodules on CT are
characterized by:
Reed-Sternberg Cells - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Hodkin's Lymphoma is separated from
other Lymphomas by the presence of:
Acetylecholinestrearse Inhibitors
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Two types of
Alzheimer's mediciation:
Left Subclavian Vein - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Lymphatic Drainage for most of the body is
via:
Erythropoietin - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Hormone made in kidney's that signals the bone
marrow to make more RBCs:
Renal Cancer - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Affects woman >65
Renal Cell carcinomas mostly
Wilm's Tumor (pediatric)
covered under guidlines
Pancreatic Cancer - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Most begins in ducts
Spreads to peritoneum, liver, lungs
Imaging neck to pelvis
Covered under CMS NCD
,Portal Vein and Hepatic Artery - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..The Liver primarily receives
blood from:
Gastric Cancer - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Men >65
Cardia, fundus, corpus, antrum, pylorus
Imaging Neck to Lower Pelvis
Five layers; mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, subserosa, serosa
Cells of Cajal - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Pacemaker of GI Tract
Staging, Restaging, Monitoring response to theraphy - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Breast
Cancer CMS coverage
Initial or Subsequent treatment strategy - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Lung Cancer CMS
coverage
Non-Small Cell
-More Common
-Spreads slowly
-Bone, Liver, Brain, Adrenal Glands
Small Cell
-Rapid Growth - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Two major types of Lung Cancer:
Esophageal Cancer - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Affects men more than women
>65 years
Squamous cell and mucinoid
Neck to pelvis imaging
Esophageal Cancer coverage - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Initial Treatment, restaging,
response to therapy, recurrance
Thalamus - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Brain structure described as "sensory relay"
Lipophilicity - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Physiochemical property of a PET tracer that
decides it's ability to enter the brain and label the target receptor or enzyme:
,F-18 Flurpiridaz - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Binds to mitochondrial complex 1
Used for myocardial perfusion imaging
Nucleophillic Substitution and Purification
Performed similar to Tc-99m Rest/Stress
Negatrons and Positrons - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Beta particles are electrons that
contain _____________ and ____________.
Electron Capture or Positron decay - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Proton rich nuclei decay
either by _____________ or ______________ .
1/3
ex: F-18 Max = 635 KeV Mean = 210 KeV - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Mean energy of an
ejected positron is about ___________ of the max energy.
Decrease Resolution - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Longer range of travel for a positron before
annihilation will ___________ resolution.
Positron emitted from atom w/ high kin. energy
Slows, combines w/ electron
Forms postironium briefly, spin
Mass is converted to energy, release two 511 KeV photons -
✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Annihilation Reaction
2 mm
0.25 degree deviation - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Non-colinearity results in blurring effect
on clinical PET scanners of approximately _____ mm and angle of _____ deviation
from 180.
Gas-Filled
Anode and Cathode
Operates at Low Voltage - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Ionization chamber is a ____________
detector w/ a ______________ and ______________ .
, National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST) -
✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Ionization chamber is calibrated annually using a _____________
source so that exposure rate a given distance is known.
Geiger-Muller - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Gas-Filled (noble gases)
High Voltage
Secondary Ionization ---> Townsend Avalanche = high sensitivity
Sinogram - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..A 2D projection space representation of a transaxial
image
X-axis sinogram - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Represents shift on LOR from the center of the
gantry
Y-axis sinogram - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Represents projection angle of LOR
Ring Artifact - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..CT artifact caused by a faulty detector
Produces ring or concentric circles on CT image
Photoelectric Effect - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Electrons are emitted from matter
Absorption of energy from electromagnetic radiation of a very short wavelength
Pair Production - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..2 electrons
One -, one +, from a pulse of electromagnetic energy traveling through matter
Opacity - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Any area that preferentially attenuates x-rays
Appears more opaque than surrounding area
Ligand - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..An ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom to
form a coordination complex
Isomeric transition - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Nucleus of metastable isotope has an
elevated energy state and releases energy via gamma ray
Internal Conversion - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Higher to Lower Energy w/o accompanying
photon
(500 Questions) – NMTCB Nuclear
Medicine Technology – Ventilation Scans,
Radiation Physics &
Radiopharmaceuticals
Mixed Attentuation - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Malignant Pulmonary Nodules on CT are
characterized by:
Reed-Sternberg Cells - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Hodkin's Lymphoma is separated from
other Lymphomas by the presence of:
Acetylecholinestrearse Inhibitors
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Two types of
Alzheimer's mediciation:
Left Subclavian Vein - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Lymphatic Drainage for most of the body is
via:
Erythropoietin - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Hormone made in kidney's that signals the bone
marrow to make more RBCs:
Renal Cancer - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Affects woman >65
Renal Cell carcinomas mostly
Wilm's Tumor (pediatric)
covered under guidlines
Pancreatic Cancer - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Most begins in ducts
Spreads to peritoneum, liver, lungs
Imaging neck to pelvis
Covered under CMS NCD
,Portal Vein and Hepatic Artery - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..The Liver primarily receives
blood from:
Gastric Cancer - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Men >65
Cardia, fundus, corpus, antrum, pylorus
Imaging Neck to Lower Pelvis
Five layers; mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, subserosa, serosa
Cells of Cajal - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Pacemaker of GI Tract
Staging, Restaging, Monitoring response to theraphy - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Breast
Cancer CMS coverage
Initial or Subsequent treatment strategy - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Lung Cancer CMS
coverage
Non-Small Cell
-More Common
-Spreads slowly
-Bone, Liver, Brain, Adrenal Glands
Small Cell
-Rapid Growth - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Two major types of Lung Cancer:
Esophageal Cancer - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Affects men more than women
>65 years
Squamous cell and mucinoid
Neck to pelvis imaging
Esophageal Cancer coverage - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Initial Treatment, restaging,
response to therapy, recurrance
Thalamus - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Brain structure described as "sensory relay"
Lipophilicity - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Physiochemical property of a PET tracer that
decides it's ability to enter the brain and label the target receptor or enzyme:
,F-18 Flurpiridaz - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Binds to mitochondrial complex 1
Used for myocardial perfusion imaging
Nucleophillic Substitution and Purification
Performed similar to Tc-99m Rest/Stress
Negatrons and Positrons - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Beta particles are electrons that
contain _____________ and ____________.
Electron Capture or Positron decay - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Proton rich nuclei decay
either by _____________ or ______________ .
1/3
ex: F-18 Max = 635 KeV Mean = 210 KeV - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Mean energy of an
ejected positron is about ___________ of the max energy.
Decrease Resolution - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Longer range of travel for a positron before
annihilation will ___________ resolution.
Positron emitted from atom w/ high kin. energy
Slows, combines w/ electron
Forms postironium briefly, spin
Mass is converted to energy, release two 511 KeV photons -
✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Annihilation Reaction
2 mm
0.25 degree deviation - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Non-colinearity results in blurring effect
on clinical PET scanners of approximately _____ mm and angle of _____ deviation
from 180.
Gas-Filled
Anode and Cathode
Operates at Low Voltage - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Ionization chamber is a ____________
detector w/ a ______________ and ______________ .
, National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST) -
✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Ionization chamber is calibrated annually using a _____________
source so that exposure rate a given distance is known.
Geiger-Muller - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Gas-Filled (noble gases)
High Voltage
Secondary Ionization ---> Townsend Avalanche = high sensitivity
Sinogram - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..A 2D projection space representation of a transaxial
image
X-axis sinogram - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Represents shift on LOR from the center of the
gantry
Y-axis sinogram - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Represents projection angle of LOR
Ring Artifact - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..CT artifact caused by a faulty detector
Produces ring or concentric circles on CT image
Photoelectric Effect - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Electrons are emitted from matter
Absorption of energy from electromagnetic radiation of a very short wavelength
Pair Production - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..2 electrons
One -, one +, from a pulse of electromagnetic energy traveling through matter
Opacity - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Any area that preferentially attenuates x-rays
Appears more opaque than surrounding area
Ligand - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..An ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom to
form a coordination complex
Isomeric transition - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Nucleus of metastable isotope has an
elevated energy state and releases energy via gamma ray
Internal Conversion - ✔✔✔ANSW✔✔..Higher to Lower Energy w/o accompanying
photon
