Molecular Imaging

Molecular imaging (also called nuclear medicine or nuclear imaging) can image the function of cells inside the body at the molecular level. This includes the imaging modalities of positron emission computed tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. How does PET and SPECT imaging work? Small amounts of radioactive material (radiopharmaceuticals) injected into a patient. These can use sugars or chemical traits to bond to specific cells. The radioactive material is taken up by cells that consume the sugars. The radiation emitted from inside the body is detected by photon detectors outside the body. Computers take the data to assemble images of the radiation emissions. Nuclear images may appear fuzzy or ghostly rather than the sharper resolution from MRI and CT.  But, it provides metabolic information at a cellular level, showing if there are defects in the function of the heart, areas of very high metabolic activity associated with cancer cells, or areas of inflammation, data not available from other modalities. These noninvasive imaging exams are used to diagnose cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, bone disorders and other disorders. 

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Netherlands Cancer Institute awarded funding to use molecular imaging in prostate cancer surgery

On Oct. 17, the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) was awarded funding from the Dutch Cancer Society to apply molecular imaging technology to prostate cancer surgery.

Molecular imaging of collagen to build on CT’s ‘slices’ approach

Can the image-reconstruction principle behind computed tomography lend itself to rendering the most abundant protein in humans—collagen—in 3D at the molecular level? It surely can, according to researchers who are working on bringing the science and engineering about.

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SNMMI, International Atomic Energy Agency combine forces on nuke-med education

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is partnering with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to beef up educational resources for health professionals wherever in the world they may be.

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PET study shows oxytocin failing to aid serotonin in the autistic brain

The “cuddle hormone” and neurotransmitter oxytocin, which has been shown to improve social skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), does not boost beneficial serotonin activity in these patients as it clearly does in their non-autistic peers, according to a PET-based study conducted at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences in Lyon, France.

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PET/MRI combination better than either alone at diagnosing high-risk prostate cancer

Researchers in Norway have shown the superiority of combined fluciclovine F-18 PET with multiparametric MRI over either modality alone for detecting and characterizing high-risk prostate cancers, according to a study published Oct. 6 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. 

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Amyloid PET shows good additive value when standard PET isn’t conclusive on dementia

Patients with suspected dementia that remains unclarified after PET imaging with the standard radiotracer fluordeoxyglucose (FDG) should be sent for amyloid-busting PET with florbetaben (FBB), as the latter is highly useful in establishing a final diagnosis in such situations.

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Military scientists use PET/CT to shed longitudinal light on Zika

Scientists with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) have used PET/CT with the radiotracer 18F-DPA-714 to find and longitudinally track brain inflammation in mice infected with the Zika virus.

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PET/CT a dependable differentiator of types, origins of space-occupying brain lesions

PET/CT with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG), the most commonly used radiotracer for PET neuroimaging and cancer patient management, is effective for differentiating between tumors, metastases and lymphomas in the brain and central nervous system, according to a study conducted in India and published online Sept. 15 in Nuclear Medicine Communications.

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Around the web

Cardiovascular Business
Positron partners with Upbeat Cardiology Solutions to improve cardiac PET/CT access

Positron, a New York-based nuclear imaging company, will now provide Upbeat Cardiology Solutions with advanced PET/CT systems and services. 

Cardiovascular Business
Global shortage of nuclear imaging isotopes may be over

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

Cardiovascular Business
‘A huge win’: CMS significantly increases Medicare payments for cardiac CT

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.