Hybrid imaging is the future of molecular imaging
- Author:
RJ Hicks
;
EWF Lau
;
DS Binns
- Publication Type:Editorial
- Keywords:
FDG, PET, SPECT, tomography, hybrid imaging, oncology
- From:Biomedical Imaging and Intervention Journal
2007;3(3):1-10
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Correlative imaging has long been used in clinical practice and particularly for the interpretation of nuclear
medicine studies wherein detailed anatomical information is often lacking. Previously, side-by-side comparison or
software co-registration techniques were applied but suffered from technical limitations related to the differing geometries of the imaging equipment, differences in the positioning of patients and displacement of mobile structures between studies. The development of the first hybrid PET and CT device struck a chord with the medical imaging community that is still ringing loudly throughout the world. So successful has been the concept of PET-CT that none of the major medical imaging manufacturers now offers stand-alone PET scanners. Following close behind this success,
SPECT-CT devices have recently been adopted by the nuclear medicine community, already compelled by the benefits
of hybrid imaging through their experience with PET-CT. Recent reports of adaptation of PET detectors to operate
within the strong magnetic field of MRI scanners have generated further enthusiasm. Prototype PET-MRI devices are
now in development. The complementary anatomical, functional and molecular information provided by these
techniques can now be presented in an intuitive and aesthetically-pleasing format. This has made end-users more
comfortable with the results of functional imaging techniques than when the same information is presented
independently. Despite the primacy of anatomical imaging for locoregional disease definition, the molecular
characterisation available from PET and SPECT offers unique complementary information for cancer evaluation. A new era of cancer imaging, when hybrid imaging will be the primary diagnostic tool, is approaching.
- Full text:W020150907511535595540.pdf
