SNMMI: Music relieves anxiety, cuts perceived SPECT/CT scan time

LOS ANGELES -- Playing music in the exam room during SPECT/CT imaging reduces patient anxiety as well as scan time, according to research shared May 31 at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) meeting.

The findings could improve the experience of patients undergoing these exams as well as the quality of the imaging itself, according to a team led by José Vicente of Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"Both reduced anxiety and improved comfort are known to decrease patient motion and agitation -- factors that can directly influence SPECT/CT acquisition quality," the group noted.

Previous studies have shown that music can reduce anxiety in medical settings. But data remain limited regarding its impact on SPECT/CT imaging, which is performed frequently in routine nuclear medicine, Vicente and colleagues explained. To address the knowledge gap, they conducted a pilot study to evaluate the effect of in-room music on overall patient experience during SPECT/CT examinations in a Swiss nuclear medicine department.

The research included 50 patients who underwent SPECT/CT imaging in a room equipped with an integrated audio system. After the exam, patients completed a questionnaire that assessed perceived stress, comfort, examination duration, and all-around impact of the music on their experience.

The group found the following:

• 96% of participants reported appreciating the presence of music during the exam.
• 33% reported reduced stress, increased relaxation, and improved overall comfort.
• 90% of patients reported an impression of a shorter exam -- on average 11.5 minutes shorter than its actual duration.
• 100% expressed willingness to undergo the same type of imaging experience again.

The researchers acknowledged that their study did not measure patient motion during imaging, and urged further studies "incorporating objective motion metrics or repeat-acquisition rates." But they emphasized that using music for this indication could be a powerful tool, and that the study's "very high acceptance rate (96%) underscores its feasibility in routine clinical practice."

"Music diffusion represents a simple, noninvasive, low-cost, and immediately implementable intervention that meaningfully contributes to humanizing the nuclear medicine patient pathway," Vicente and colleagues concluded.

Check out AuntMinnie’s full coverage of SNMMI 2026 on our ShowCast.