FDOPA PET is showing promise in diagnosing, guiding initial selection of therapy in movement disorders and monitoring functioning of dopamine cell implantation.

Theyve been a long time coming. In December 2009, the FDA released its long-awaited response to the Food and Drug Modernization Act of 1997, signaling a change in the guidelines for PET radiopharmaceutical production which are slated to go into effect on Dec. 12, 2011.

This issue of Molecular Imaging Insight addresses various important areas of molecular imaging. The need for reducing radiation dose in molecular imaging is paramount, and is a topic that has gained considerable public attention. Obviously, the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle applies to PET/CT imaging.

While the recent influx of funding for comparative effectiveness research (CER) from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has brought heightened attention to the field in the United States, such well-designed studies have been effectively implemented in Europe, Australia and Asia for the purposes of evaluating molecular imaging technologies and techniques.

PET/CTsince its introduction in 2001has emerged as the primary diagnostic tool in the staging of lung cancer when compared to PET and CT alone. The shift from CT to PET/CT will continue with technological advances in respiratory gating and molecular imaging.

First there was PET imaging, and then emerged the need for anatomic localization. Thus was born the hybrid PET/CT scanner, which currently dominates the market. The acceptance of SPECT/CT is gaining momentum, as more and more clinical uses for the combination imaging are proving advantageous.

Multimodality molecular imaging and new developments in imaging agents are beginning to make their mark on diagnosis, staging, detecting recurrence and measuring response to therapy in prostate cancerPET/CT with choline is the emerging standard.

The development of molecular imaging has not only had a profound impact on medical practice and imaging, but on the relationship between the two established specialties of radiology and nuclear medicine.