Medicexchange.com News

Posts Tagged ‘PET Scans’

As per medical research study put forward at the Cancer Imaging and Radiation Therapy Symposium in Atlanta:

In comparison to lone CT scan, the aggregation of Computerized Tomography Scan (CT) with 18F-FDG PET (Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography) images ensued into more outlined tumors, and likely dissimilar cancer therapy options, in head and neck cancer patients.

The research was led by Homan Dehnad, MD, Utrecht University Medical Center in Utrecht, Netherlands.

The conference was supported by Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

Medical researchers attempted to ascertain the implication of combination of CT and FDG-PET for deciding tumor delineation and therapy for head and neck cancer patients.

CT scan is standard method for determination of tumor delineation prior adjudicating head and neck cancer treatment, normally through intensity modulated radiation treatment. FDG PET utilizes radioactive products, in combination with sugar, and can generate more outlined tumors.

For the trial study, about 327 patients were treated with Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) for head neck cancer.

On grounds of the aggregated approach of CT scan and FDG PET, researchers detected shift in the characterization of the tumor in a patient, out of 3 patients. This resulted into change and adjustment of treatment for 10% of patients, and 33% of patients, respectively.

In about 17% of the patients, the primary tumor was not seeable on CAT scans alone, for the most part due to dental implants.

Researchers anticipated for enhanced delineation of the tumor, though they never looked forward to it to have drastic influence on cancer treatment options for the patients. They urged for requirement of multi-imaged facilities for every committed institute that dealt with head and neck cancer (Oncology).

Conclusion: The combination FDG PET CT scan is significant for tumor characterization in primary radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Whole body PET MRI might substitute integrated PET CT scanning, as MR outmatches CT, for complementary examination in PET indication. The subject is discussed in a recent editorial published in the ‘European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging’, titled ‘Whole-body hybrid PET/MRI: ready for clinical use?‘

Combined PET/CT facilitates precise tumor staging, and evaluates radiation oncology response to the therapy and is superior in comparison to stand-alone PET or CT. The advance PET technology (PET/CT) alleviates for PET imaging of the trunk/body (head to mid-thigh) with isotropic resolution in 10 min and lesser than that.

The incorporation of high-end Multidetector CT (in dual modality) provides for contrast-enhanced CT evaluations. It augments the clinical significance of incorporated PET/CT imaging protocols.

MR imaging studies aid for soft tissue analysis/cephalometric analysis, cancer detection, tissue characterization, functional imaging etc. Patients often undergo MRI scans, other than a PET/CT study, for detection and staging of cancers. This is done for soft tissue analysis/morphological information, when stand-alone computed tomography is unable to provide information with.

Combined PET/MR examinations may potentially become significant than PET/CT imaging. MR outmatches CT, for complementary examination in PET indications. It is now proposed that whole body MR imaging might substitute PET/CT.

MRI machines detect area of restricted diffusion (diffusion weighted MRI). It provides information about injuries to parts of the nervous system, with high sensitivity. The feasibility of PET/MRI is more to be seen.

Enhanced lesion detection with Time-of-Flight (TOF) Positron Emission Tomography has been confirmed out for vital diagnostic imaging (3-dimensional) practice of body supported on 2-d slices.

The quantitative data analysis showed up positive results with TOF PET, as the technology proved well for cancer detection and diagnosis. The scientific/medical research study and case information can be accessed more from the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, which shows the effectiveness of oncologic TOF fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET scans for lesion detection of lung and liver cancers, for localized structural changes in the body part, across all contrasts and body mass indexes (BMIs).

In usual/traditional PET scan method the images are generated out by detection of gamma rays constructed on through radioisotopes that are being injected into the human body, where the technology (conventional PET) is competent for to track down the reach of gamma rays, but not able to judge out the time for each gamma rays to arrive at the detector. But, TOF PET solves on this front, as the technology does take account of the period of time, which lead out to enhanced image signal-to-noise (the ratio of signal to noise intensity).

For effective clinical study, to ensure correct/precise information of existence and position of lesion, 10mm orbicular lesions were included to disease-free bed positions, which suitably adjusted for the body’s intensity, so that the existence/nonexistence of the lesions was alike to that of real-time patient studies. The TOF PET scans were accomplished on, and medical researchers utilized a numeric observer, in contrast to human observer, for to quickly notice out a large number of medical conditions. Here the TOF PET medical images were equated on to usual/traditional PET images of the same data retracted, devoid of TOF information, for to decide on progress in lesion discovery, as a meaningful purpose for to identify out lesion position, scan time, contrast and BMI respectively.

Medical researchers found enhanced lesion detection through TOF PET scans, with greatest performance on lowest lesion contrast/shortest-acquisition studies. After the successful study and interpretation of effectiveness of TOF PET, physicians/nuclear medicine technologist would now be able to gain from the technology for to trim down on scan time, for increased patient comfort, with minimized/insignificant motion. Through improved usage of TOF PET, the technologists will even be able to lessen the instilled radio-pharmaceutical dosage, where the chances of radiation poisoning will be less to both patients and the healthcare professionals.

Unexpected and abrupt, disastrous childhood epilepsy can be a most horrible nightmare, particularly in case of fever induced refractory epileptic encephalopathy in school-age children (FIRES) for their parents! Though not much could be recognized, or identified out, about this acute medical condition, but a new research study report available in the Journal of Nuclear medicine demonstrates out that Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans can easily come out to help for assessing/evaluating out cognitive dysfunction in case of FIRES (fever induced refractory epileptic encephalopathy in school-age children), and its development and in forecasting, further!

The medical condition, FIRES has found occurring mostly in previously well/healthy children that after a brief fever go through acute/severe seizures, which are resistant to medication/drugs, and continue for several of weeks! When the seizure/convulsions stop, the children are left with nothing but severe/acute dysfunction, involving – behavior, language and memory, to name a few!

The study 18F-FDG PET, carried out on about eight patients that were identified/recognized out with FIRES, disclosed out on frontotemporal dysfunction in them! The affected patients (children) were passed through neuropsychologic evaluation/assessment, brain MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and 18F-FDG PET scan etc.! Acute cognitive dysfunction was depicted out; while during the Magnetic Resonance Imaging tests – it examined out no irregularities for the affected patients, but the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans showed out vital cognitive impairment, in the patients!

Medical researchers then evaluated and compared out the FIRES patients with pseudo-control group of epilepsy patients that had regular PET and MRI scan results! Utilizing on statistical parametric mapping (SPM, for neuromaging data) for analyzing on brain activity/functioning, the study disclosed out that the brain dysfunction was linked to the epilepsy in the patients with FIRES!

Dysfunctional network is superimposed over the epileptic network is a strong disagreement that FIRES is the reason of cognitive deterioration in these earlier normal/healthy children!

Besides, localizing such a dysfunction may aid in specifying out the re-adaptation more precisely! The findings from the research team will open new avenues for the utilization of 18F-FDG PET in a more detailed way, and precisely for pediatric imaging, as this procedure permits for to examine both unilateral and bilateral diseases, and helps in determining out PET (Positron Emission Tomography) images in a focused/objective and responsive way!

Though much remains unrecognized about FIRES (medical condition), although, with more understanding of this medical condition attained through the medical research, physicians can suggest for better medical intervention/involvement, eventually leading to enhanced patient outcomes/results!