ABSTRACT
Functional imaging using PET (positron emission tomography) has a great impact on current medical practice. It allows to explore, in a very precise way, different processes such as tissue flow and metabolism. Fluor-deoxyglucose labeled with F18 fluorine represents glucose metabolism. Among its main applications are detection, staging, follow up and recurrence assessment of malignant tumors; myocardial viability detection in patients with myocardial infarction or ischemic cardiomyopathy, and evaluation of hyperactive epileptogenic foci in brain. The basis and clinical applications of PET tomography are reviewed especially oriented to its cost benefit relationship, change in patient management and diagnostic value of the most accepted oncological indications. Important economic resources may be saved with PET in this field, considering appropriate staging and recurrence detection, avoiding expensive therapeutic approaches in advanced disease
Subject(s)
Humans , Tomography, Emission-Computed/methods , Cyclotrons , Neoplasms , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Gamma Cameras , RadiopharmaceuticalsABSTRACT
Background: The detection of viability after acute myocardial infarction is primordial to select the most appropriate therapy, to decrease cardiac events and abnormal remodeling. Thallium201 SPECT is one of the radionuclide techniques used to detect viability. Aim: To evaluate the use of Thallium201 rest-redistribution SPECT to detect myocardial viability in reperfused patients after a recent myocardial infarction. Patients and methods: Forty one patients with up to of 24 days of evolution of a myocardial infarction were studied. All had angiographically demonstrated coronary artery disease and were subjected to a successful thrombolysis, angioplasty or bypass grafting. SPECT Thallium201 images were acquired at rest and after 4 h of redistribution. These results were compared with variations in wall motion score, studied at baseline and after 3 or 4 months with echocardiography. Results: The sensitivity of rest-redistribution Thallium201 SPECT, to predict recovery of wall motion was 91 percent when patient analysis was performed and 79 percent when segmental analysis was done in the culprit region. The figures for specificity were 56 and 73 percent respectively. Conclusions: Rest-distribution Thallium201 SPECT has an excellent sensitivity to predict myocardial viability in recent myocardial infarction. The data obtained in this study is similar to that reported for chronic coronary artery disease