Tomographic radiopharmaceutical imaging

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · Proc. IEEE; (United States)

OSTI ID:6037803

Jaszczak, R J

Tomographic radiopharmaceutical imaging, or emission computed tomography (ECT), provides in vivo three-dimensional maps of a pharmaceutical labeled with a gamma ray emitting radionuclide. ECT has developed in two complimentary directions based on the type of radionuclide that is used. Positron emission computed tomography (PET) detects the two coincident 511 keV annihilation photons from positron emitters such as C-11, N-13, O-15, and F-18. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) involves detection of gamma rays emitted singly, and sequentially, by the radionuclidic tracer. SPECT uses conventional radionuclides such as Tc-99m and T-201 that are routinely used in nuclear medicine. PET usually requires an on-site accelerator such as a cyclotron to produce the short-lived nuclides of interest. During the past decade there have been significant improvement in ECT instrumentation and reconstruction methods. This paper presents examples of PET and SPECT imaging devices and reviews a widely used reconstruction algorithm. Current research areas that are under active investigation are also described. This paper is not intended to encompass every aspect of tomographic radiopharmaceutical imaging, but rather its purpose is to provide the reader with a basic understanding of ECT, together with insight into the capabilities and limitations of PET and SPECT.

• Research Organization: Dept. of Radiology/Nuclear Medicine, Duke Univ. Medical Center, Durham, NC (US)
• OSTI ID: 6037803
• Journal Information: Proc. IEEE; (United States), Journal Name: Proc. IEEE; (United States) Vol. 76:9; ISSN IEEPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

440100 -- Radiation Instrumentation
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
550601 -- Medicine-- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics
550602* -- Medicine-- External Radiation in Diagnostics-- (1980-)
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ACCELERATORS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON 11
CARBON ISOTOPES
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
CYCLIC ACCELERATORS
CYCLOTRONS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DIAGNOSTIC USES
DRUGS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FLUORINE 18
FLUORINE ISOTOPES
GAMMA RADIATION
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
IN VIVO
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MEDICINE
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NITROGEN 13
NITROGEN ISOTOPES
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXYGEN 15
OXYGEN ISOTOPES
PATIENTS
PHOTONS
POSITRON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS
SCINTISCANNING
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
SINGLE PHOTON EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
TECHNETIUM 99
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
THALLIUM 201
THALLIUM ISOTOPES
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TOMOGRAPHY
USES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES