SPECT/CT technology

Abstract

The continuous development of SPECT over the past 50 years has led to remarkably improved image quality and increased diagnostic confidence. The most influential developments include the realization of hybrid SPECT/CT devices, as well as the implementation of attenuation correction and iterative reconstruction techniques. These developments have led to a preference for SPECT/CT devices over SPECT-only systems and to the widespread adoption of the former, strengthening the role of SPECT/CT as the workhorse of nuclear medicine imaging. New trends in the ongoing development of SPECT/CT are quite diverse. For example, whole-body SPECT/CT images, consisting of acquisitions from multiple consecutive bed positions in the manner of PET/CT, are increasingly performed. Another recent advance has been the incorporation of additional information obtained from the CT images into the SPECT reconstruction, thereby allowing CT data to be used for more than just attenuation correction and image fusion. Additionally, in recent years, some interesting approaches in detector technology have found their way into commercial products. For example, some SPECT cameras dedicated to specific organs employ semiconductor detectors made of cadmium telluride or cadmium zinc telluride, which have been shown to increase the obtainable image quality by offering a higher sensitivity and energy resolution. Most important, the recent advent of quantitative SPECT/CT which, like PET, can quantify the amount of tracer in terms of Bq/mL or as a standardized uptake value, is a major innovation that will lead to increased diagnostic accuracy and confidence, especially in longitudinal studies and in the monitoring of treatment response. This article describes some of the physical and technical fundamentals of SPECT/CT and reviews established as well as experimental technical developments. It also introduces the aforementioned recent trends in the field of nuclear medicine imaging, such as specialized collimators, SPECT cameras for anatomical imaging (e.g. cerebral/cardiac imaging) and new detector technologies.

A Prospective Study Comparing 99mTc-Hydroxyethylene-Diphosphonate Planar Bone Scintigraphy and Whole-Body SPECT/CT with 18F-Fluoride PET/CT and 18F-Fluoride PET/MRI for Diagnosing Bone Metastases

“…Thus, routine diagnosis of bone metastases by 18 F-NaF PET/MRI is not likely to prove cost-effective. Instead, future development of the different imaging modalities will influence the modality of choice: the newly introduced improved image reconstructions for bone on SPECT/CT by integrating CT data in the SPECT image reconstruction (20,21); the promising results with new PET tracers, especially 68 Ga-PSMA, for imaging both osseous and nonosseous prostate cancer metastases (22); and the continuing development of faster and optimized whole-body MR imaging sequences.…”

Роль Гібридної Офект/Кт-Візуалізації В Діагностичному Моніторингу Пацієнтів Із Патологією Кісток Нижніх Кінцівок (Огляд Літератури)

“…Даний аспект вимагатиме подальших науково-технічних досягнень, спрямованих на зменшення радіаційного опромінення пацієнтів у процесі гібридної візуалізації. Технічний прогрес методики ОФЕКТ/КТ протягом останніх років був вражаючим, зокрема, можливість кількісної оцінки поглинання РФП в абсолютних одиницях, впровадження напівпровідникових детекторів та розробка методології реконструкції мультимодальних зображень [43]. Даних літературних джерел щодо клінічної цінності цих технологій при розладах, що впливають на кісткову систему, все ще недостатньо, але вони становлять інтерес для подальшого підвищення діагностичної інформативності ОФЕКТ/КТ пацієнтів із патологією кісток нижніх кінцівок.…”

New Potential In Situ Anticancer Agent Derived from [188Re]rhenium Nitro-Imidazole Ligand Loaded 5th Generation Poly-L-Lysine Dendrimer for Treatment of Transplanted Human Liver Carcinoma in Nude Mice

“…Thus to being reconstructed into a single image, the CT data was used for attenuation correction of SPECT images. SPECT/CT image analysis was performed using MicroView software (GE Healthcare Inc.) [40].…”