PET/CT

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography is a hybrid nuclear medicine imaging technique that helps radiologists spot abnormal metabolic activity. PET/CT is commonly used to diagnose cancers, heart diseases and certain brain disorders, among other conditions.

Telix Pharmaceuticals

Telix says new kidney cancer imaging agent alters treatment plans for 50% of patients

The positive findings come after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration previously shared concerns related to sterility assurance issues during the drug’s production.

UCLA Health

UCLA launches ‘first of its kind’ new standalone Department of Nuclear Medicine and Theranostics

“Becoming an independent department elevates this work and strengthens UCLA’s role in shaping the future of precision health," said the department's new acting chairman. 

The new cardiac PET radiotracer flurpiridaz F-18 is posed to be a major game changer and will likely lead to increased adoption of cardiac PET.

Largest network of private cardiology groups in US to deploy GE HealthCare's cardiac PET tracer

One of the tracer’s more significant advantages is its extended half-life of 109 minutes—significantly longer than other currently available PET MPI imaging agents.

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Some PET exams may be overutilized in oncology

 In 2020 alone, there were more than 2 million 18F-FDG PET/CT scans conducted in the United States.

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PSMA-PET imaging not the most cost-effective option for many prostate cancer patients

The exam effectively helps providers manage patients’ treatment options, but for some, the costs associated with those treatments may negate the value of its findings.

PET study targets inflammation to predict AMI recovery

Inflammation-targeting PET method predicts recovery after heart attack

Targeting CXCR4 during PET scans could help providers gain vital information regarding patients' potential to fully recover from myocardial infarction. 

Nuclear cardiology is entering a new era—one that goes well beyond the traditional focus on myocardial perfusion imaging. According to Marcelo Di Carli, MD, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology and chief of the Division of Nuclear Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the field is rapidly expanding into diagnosing and monitoring complex cardiac diseases such as amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, myocarditis, and cardiac infections.

Nuclear cardiology expands beyond perfusion imaging as it enters a new era

Beyond amyloidosis, nuclear cardiology is also increasingly used to image inflammation and infection in the myocardium, especially in diseases such as cardiac sarcoidosis and myocarditis.

Positron emission tomography (PET) nuclear imaging has seen rapid expansion in cardiology and oncology due to its improve accuracy over SPECT and its ability to expand into new areas of cardiovascular imaging. A new review in the American Heart Association journal Stroke outlines another possible use of PET to assess carotid artery atherosclerosis for stroke prevention. Figure courtesy Stroke, https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/STROKEAHA.125.050399

PET holds promise for carotid plaque assessments

PET has already gained significant momentum in recent years. Now, researchers are pointing to another possible use for the popular imaging modality: assessing carotid artery atherosclerosis.