Molecular Imaging

FES-PET effective for staging breast cancer in phase II trial

F-18 fluroestradiol (FES)-PET/CT appears as effective as standard imaging for staging women with estrogen receptor-positive locally advanced breast cancer or evaluating suspected recurrence.

July 26, 2024

The patient was a woman in her 50s with suspected recurrence of invasive lobular breast cancer. A, maximum intensity projection image from FDG-PET/CT demonstrating avid foci in the chest (red arrow). Transaxial CT (B) and transaxial fused FDG-PET/CT image (C) showing that the chest avidity corresponds to FDG-avid lung nodules (red arrows) suspicious for malignancy. The lung nodule was subsequently biopsied but found to represent benign granulomatous inflammation and thus a false positive on FDG-PET/CT. D, maximum intensity projection image from FES-PET/CT demonstrating multifocal uptake suspicious for malignancy. E, transaxial CT and fused FES-PET/CT demonstrating no FES-avidity in the biopsy proven benign granulomatous lung nodules (red arrows), thus true negative on FES-PET/CT. FES-avidity in nodes (white arrow) is suspicious for malignancy. F, transaxial CT and fused FES-PET/CT demonstrates gastric avidity (blue arrow) suspicious for malignancy. G, transaxial CT and fused FES PET/CT demonstrates FES-avid osseous foci (yellow arrow) suspicious for malignancy. This osseous focus was subsequently biopsied and proved to be an osseous metastasis and thus true positive on FES-PET/CT.

PET/MRI rules out tau protein in late-life depression

A PET/MRI study has provided insights into the neurobiology of late-life depression, finding tau protein is not involved in the condition.

July 25, 2024

Coronal and axial slice of the average cortical F-18 MK-6240 SUVR [standard uptake value ratio] image for each study population. SUVR images were corrected for partial volume effects and masked with the gray matter mask used for volume of interest delineation. Overall tau accumulation is comparable between the late-life depression (LLD, middle column) and non-depressed cognitively unimpaired comparison (HC, left column) groups, while abnormal tau accumulation, which is most pronounced in the mesial temporal lobe, can be seen in the mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease group (right column). Image and caption courtesy of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Tau PET identifies grey matter atrophy in retired athletes

Flortaucipir PET imaging is able to identify neuropathological brain changes in retired contact sport athletes at risk of neurodegeneration.

July 24, 2024

Example of the flortaucipir tau-PET signal and distribution of low grey matter volume in a single former athlete. Spatial maps of the flortaucipir tau-PET standardized update value (SUVR) (top) and the reduced grey matter volumes showed in blue and defined as voxels with a w-score of >1.5 below the mean (bottom) in a single former athlete. Image courtesy of the Journal of Neurology.

PET/MRI superior to PET/CT in cancer patients

FDG-PET/MRI is comparable or superior in diagnostic performance to FDG-PET/CT across a range of cancers and endpoints.

July 18, 2024

FAPI-SPECT reveals damage to myocardium after heart attack

Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) FAPI-SPECT shows promise as a tool for assessing cellular and structural changes in the myocardium after heart attack.

July 16, 2024

Emergency percutaneous coronary intervention images, Tc-99m MIBI perfusion images and Tc-99m FAPI images of STEMI patients. In STEMI patients, there is a localized yet inhomogeneous uptake of Tc-99m FAPI. Notably, the extent of Tc-99m FAPI uptake significantly surpasses the area of perfusion defects. Despite similarities in coronary artery lesions (culprit vessels identified as the left anterior descending artery in image A and the right coronary artery in image B, white arrows), and comparable myocardial perfusion impairment, patients with larger Tc-99m FAPI uptake areas exhibit ventricular remodeling. Image courtesy of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology.

Bone marrow disorders associated with SARs in Lutathera patients

Pretreatment bone marrow disorders may predict which patients are at risk for severe adverse reactions (SARs) when treated with lutetium-177 DOTATATE.

July 15, 2024

2024 07 11 Sa Rs Patients Lu 177 Dotatate Voter

The rise of theranostics: Part 5 -- Advice from center administrators

Want to launch theranostics at your hospital and cancer center? An SNMMI 2024 session provided key planning steps.

July 12, 2024

Nuclear medicine technologist and theranostics practice administrator Dmitry Beyder (left) and Vikas Prasad, MD, PhD (right), lead the theranostics center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in Saint Louis, MO. Image courtesy of Washington University.

LAFOV PET/CT feasible in infants with neuroblastoma

Long axial field-of-view (LAFOV) PET/CT scanners offer shorter procedure times and avoid the need for sedation or general anesthesia when imaging young children with neuroblastoma.

July 9, 2024

Hospital Baby Nurse

Swiss team produces 1st 3D PET/MRI image

Researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland say they have produced the first cinematically rendered image from a patient based on a standard clinical F-18 FDG-PET/MRI scan.

July 5, 2024

3 D Pet Mri 668590e65065f

FDG-PET/CT improves management of patients with head and neck cancer

FDG-PET/CT imaging can reduce unnecessary surgeries in patients to remove residual neck cancer after they have undergone chemoradiotherapy.

July 2, 2024

PSMA-PET superior to MRI in phase II prostate cancer trial

PET/CT imaging with a new radiotracer is superior to MRI prior to surgery in men with intermediate-risk and high-risk prostate cancer.

July 1, 2024

New guideline covers theranostics in brain tumors

U.S. and European experts have proposed a joint practice guideline for use in nuclear medicine on diagnostics and therapy (theranostics) of meningiomas.

June 21, 2024

Brain Theranostics2

Page 1 of 595