Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value, in suspected infectious prostheses, of (99m)Tc-labeled hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime ((99m)Tc-HMPAO) leukocyte scintigraphy interpreted with the addition of a semiquantitative analysis. ⋯ In those patients who underwent (99m)Tc-HMPAO-leukocyte scintigraphy for suspected hip or knee prosthesis infection, the addition of a semiquantitative evaluation to the qualitative analysis of early and late images leads to a significant improvement in both specificity and accuracy.
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Comment Letter Biography Historical Article
Hal Anger, nuclear medicine's quiet genius.
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The advent of multimodality imaging scanners combining PET and CT has led to a new paradigm in image display and presentation that raises new challenges in workstation interpretation software, image navigation, and communication. The essence of multimodality imaging is the ability to overlay imaging information from different modalities in a visually compelling fashion. This is accomplished by combining functional and anatomic data into multidimensional views using color-encoding techniques that provide visual clues on the spatial distribution of image data. ⋯ The wider adoption of multimodality PET/CT imaging techniques in routine clinical use will depend heavily on the development of more adequate image display and navigation tools that allow interpreting physicians to navigate easily and efficiently through multiple dimensions of data. Distribution of results to referring physicians and care providers also requires new tools for interactively reviewing the multimodality data, and current static images obtained from fused image data remain inadequate for proper visualization of the true content of images.
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Comparative Study
Quantification of regional ventilation-perfusion ratios with PET.
The topographic matching of alveolar ventilation (V(A)) and perfusion (Q) is the main determinant of gas exchange efficiency of the lung. However, no pulmonary functional imaging technique has been shown to predict whole-lung gas exchange in health and disease. This study aims to present a PET-based method to estimate regional alveolar ventilation-to-perfusion ratios (V(A)/Q) predictive of arterial blood gases. ⋯ Tracer kinetics analysis of PET images after an intravenous injection of (13)NN provides a quantitative assessment of regional V(A)/Q heterogeneity including that corresponding to length scales smaller than the spatial resolution of the imaging method. Quantification of V(A)/Q mismatch obtained with the presented technique is directly related to severity of gas exchange impairment as determined by arterial blood gases.
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After traumatic brain injury (TBI), subcortical white matter damage may induce a functional disconnection leading to a dissociation of regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) between the cerebral cortex and deeper brain regions. Therefore, thalamic and brain stem CMRglc may have a closer correlation than does the cerebral cortex with depth of coma after TBI. ⋯ A PET investigation using (18)F FDG demonstrated a significant difference in glucose metabolism in the thalamus, brain stem, and cerebellum between comatose and noncomatose patients acutely after TBI. The metabolic rate of glucose in these regions significantly correlated with the level of consciousness at the time of PET.