Health Imaging & IT - June 2008 - (Page 16)

special secTiOn MOlecular iMaging PET/CT Delivers in the longer term, too, with external factors opening new doors. “The entire future of PET/CT is in tracer development. The scanner technology is mature, but we continue to rely on a single tracer for most applications,” says Blodgett. In the future, new tracers could target specific cancers. The downside is time. Blodgett predicts the next major oncology tracer is five to 10 years away from clinical practice. The situation is similar in cardiac PET/CT imaging. “We’d love to see other tracer options,” says Patterson, “especially one that targeted vulnerable plaque.” It may be possible to image vulnerable plaque, the culprit in nearly half of all myocardial infarctions, with FDG PET/CT; however, researchers are confident that another tracer will concentrate more intensely in arteries impacted by vulnerable plaque to produce a more accurate image of the patient’s condition. Another area for improvement is blood flow measurement. Currently, PET/CT images relative blood flow to the heart. If the scanner could produce data about absolute blood flow, it would provide physicians a better diagnostic tool, says Patterson. The ultimate PET/CT frontier may be the brain. “PET/CT provides exquisite neurological images with an astonishing amount of information,” states Divgi. Yet, neurological PET/CT has not seen the exponential growth that oncologic imaging has. The barrier in this case is the lack of therapeutic options for neurological diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Without therapeutic interventions, the utility of PET/CT or any diagnostic imaging tool is diminished, says Divgi. expert advice Sites aiming to begin or expand their PET/CT program should invest wisely. An array of options exists. Insiders offer some pointers to help sites wade through: 16 Health Imaging & IT | June 2008 HealthImaging.com http://www.portwell.com http://www.portwell.com http://HealthImaging.com

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Health Imaging & IT - June 2008 Contents On The Web The Enterprise News Update Cover Story: Pushing Productivity: How Imaging is Building Efficiency and Cutting Costs Technology Outlook: Imaging Procedures Poised for Growth Great Expectations: PET/CT Delivers SPECT/CT Proving it's Potential MR/PET Holds Promise Good Image Management: Infiltrating Molecular Imaging SNM Preview Modality Review: Mammography’s Next Step: The Dawning of Breast Tomosynthesis Managing Technology: Radiation Oncology: Opening the Doors to IT Reader's Resource Stat Sheet

Health Imaging & IT - June 2008

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