Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Applications and potential
B. L. Holman and S. S. Tumeh
Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
Single-photon emission computed tomography has received increasing
attention as radiopharmaceuticals that reflect perfusion, metabolism, and
receptor and cellular function have become widely available. Perfusion
single-photon emission computed tomography of the brain provides functional
information useful for the diagnosis and management of stroke, dementia,
and epilepsy. Single-photon emission computed tomography has been applied
to myocardial, skeletal, hepatic, and tumor scintigraphy, resulting in
increased diagnostic accuracy over planar imaging because background
activity and overlapping tissues interfere far less with activity from the
target structure when tomographic techniques are used. Single-photon
emission computed tomography is substantially less expensive and far more
accessible than positron emission tomography and will become an
increasingly attractive alternative for transferring the positron emission
tomography technology to routine clinical use. In addition, single-photon
emission computed tomography has unique applications that are increasingly
finding their way into the routine practice of clinical nuclear medicine.
