|
March 13, 2007
Hybrid imaging makes headway in cardiac and oncologic imaging, but caveats persist
Dr. Conor Collins and colleagues at St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin cited the four most common cancers imaged with PET/CT:
Utilization of PET/CT is also increasing in patients with melanoma and cancers of extracranial head and neck, breast, testes, and cervix, Collins said. He noted that important underlying questions remain about PET/CT, despite its accuracy. What is its impact on patient management? Is it cost-effective? Are there other less expensive imaging alternatives that would provide the same information? One area where FDG-PET has no role is prostate cancer, he said, though other radiotracers such as fluorine-18 choline and F-18 ethylcholine show promise in the prostate. Research is ongoing into new tracers for specific organs or cellular signatures. These include F-18 ethyltyrosine for brain tumors, F-18 thymidine for cellular proliferation, F-18 DOPA for endocrine tumors, and copper-60 ATSM for cellular hypoxia. Dr. Philipp A. Kaufmann, director of nuclear cardiology at University Hospital Zurich, discussed PET/CT and SPECT/CT in cardiac imaging. Kaufmann was the senior investigator in a study that produced the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 2006 Image of the Year. The image illustrated perfusion SPECT/CT's importance for assessing low-risk patients with suspected myocardial infarction. The addition of SPECT to CT angiography data increases specificity, mainly the ability to identify the vessel responsible for causing ischemia, he said. SPECT/CT and PET/CT certainly present the opportunity for a "one-stop shopping approach" for cardiac imaging, Antoch said. But he added that these hybrid imaging modalities are not the last word. While future developments may make cardiac MRI a strong competitor when imaging morphology and function in a single session, research into PET/MR hybrid scanners could round out the playing field.
Videos
 ECR Philippe Houssiau interview Data must not only converge but be managed easily and efficiently, if sophisticated diagnostics are to result in better patient care. Philippe Houssiau, president of Agfa Healthcare, discusses with DI Business Editor Greg Freiherr the company's strategy for managing this convergence over the short and long term.  Zonare's newly enhanced z.one ultra Zonare's newly enhanced z.one ultra, launched commercially this month and showcased at the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna, features a 19-inch diagonal screen built into a redesigned portable cart. The upgraded product, which can operate as a cart-based or hand-carried ultrasound system, features software that automatically adjusts the gain and brightness of images and traces spectral Doppler waveform. Glen McLaughlin, Ph.D., chief technology officer and vice president of engineering at Zonare, demonstrates some of the new system's highlights.  Dr. Philip Cook explains the Radiology Integrated Training Initiative at the 2007 ECR Electronic training strategies were a hit at the ECR. One program developed in the U.K., the Radiology Integrated Training Initiative, uses e-learning and a validated case archive to address a shortfall of trained consultant radiologists. Dr. Philip Cook, a consultant radiologist and clinical lead for the program, explains.
What's New on DiagnosticImaging.com
CT colonography tops colonoscopy for mapping colon cancer segmentation
Diagnostic Imaging, November 20, 2009 Self-referral provision may sugarcoat bitter pills in House reform
Diagnostic Imaging, November 19, 2009 |
|
CancerNetwork | ConsultantLive | Diagnostic Imaging | Psychiatric Times | Search Medica | Physicians Practice 
© 1996 - 2009 CMPMedica LLC, a
United Business Media company
|
