Multimodality molecular imaging of the lung

Abstract

Lung diseases cause significant morbidity and mortality and lead to high healthcare utilization. However, few lung disease-specific biomarkers are available to accurately monitor disease activity for the purposes of clinical management or drug development. Advances in cross-modal imaging technologies, such as combined positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging scanners and PET or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) combined with computed tomography (CT), may aid in the development of noninvasive, molecular-based biomarkers for lung disease. However, the lungs pose particular challenges in obtaining accurate quantification of imaging data due to the low density of the organ and breathing motion. This review covers the basic physics underlying PET, SPECT, CT, and MR lung imaging and presents technical considerations for multimodal imaging with regard to PET and SPECT quantification. It also includes a brief review of the current and potential clinical applications for these hybrid imaging technologies.

Quantification of Lung PET Images: Challenges and Opportunities

“…Molecular imaging approaches such as PET and SPECT might meet the need for noninvasive biomarkers of lung disease (6). Because inflammatory cell recruitment leads to increased glucose utilization in the lungs, 18 F-FDG PET has been widely explored as a biomarker of pulmonary inflammation (7)(8)(9)(10)(11).…”

Non‐contrast‐enhanced MRI of the pulmonary blood volume using two‐compartment‐modeled T1‐relaxation

“…THE ASSESSMENT of pulmonary perfusion parameters is essential for numerous diagnostic tasks in thoracic imaging. The current clinically applied standard techniques comprise nuclear scintigraphy, single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) (1, 2), positron‐emission tomography (PET), and computed tomography (CT) (3, 4).…”

Current Applications for Nuclear Medicine Imaging in Pulmonary Disease

“…Emulsified perfluorocarbons are phagocytized by monocytes and macrophages and can be easily detected by using fluorine 19 F MRI. This technique can be potentially used for lung imaging and drug development [81].…”