Caring for the older patient, Part II: Age-related anatomic and physiologic changes and pathologies.

This is the second article of a four-part series on gerontology and its applications to the care of elderly patients in nuclear medicine. This article reviews anatomic and physiologic changes and pathology associated with aging. It also discusses tailoring nuclear medicine procedures according to patients' needs and conditions, as well as adopting changes within the nuclear medicine department to better serve older patients. Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to: (a) describe normal age-related anatomic and physiologic changes that are observed in older patients; (b) identify common age-related disorders; (c) discuss considerations in tailoring nuclear medicine procedures for older patients; and (d) identify changes in the nuclear medicine facility that would better accommodate older patients.