This book provides basic information about the relatively new and
evolving technology -positron emission tomography- for its clinical
applications and practical guidance for the referring physicians.
Chapters cover application of PET in various clinical settings
including oncology, cardiology, and neurology with a focus on role
in various cancers. Because most of the new PET equipments come as
hybrid machines with CT or MRI, two chapters have been included at
the end of the book to provide basic and comprehensive information
about these two technologies. Molecular imaging is going to
revolutionize the way we practice medicine in the future. It will
lead to more accurate diagnosis of diseases and its extent which
will lead to better management and better outcomes. In the history
of medicine no imaging modality has ever become so popular for use
in such a short time as has the PET technology. PET imaging is
mostly used in oncology, neurology and cardiology but also finds
application in other situations such as infection imaging. The main
focus, of course, is in management of cancer patients. PET (PET-CT)
is not only very sensitive as it can detect changes in abnormal
biochemical processes at cellular level but in one go all such
areas can be detected in a whole body scan. It can show response to
therapy, eradication of the disease or recurrence during the
follow-up period. One of the main differences between a PET scan
and other imaging tests like CT scan or MRI is that the PET scan
reveals the cellular level metabolic changes occurring in an organ
or tissue. This is important and unique because disease processes
begin with functional changes at the cellular level. A PET scan can
detect these very early changes whereas a CT or MRI detect changes
much later as the disease begins to cause changes in the structure
of organs or tissues. Some cancers, especially lymphoma or cancers
of the head and neck, brain, lung, colon, or prostate, in very
early stage may show up more clearly on a PET scan than on a CT
scan or an MRI. A PET scan can measure such vital functions as
blood flow, oxygen use, and glucose metabolism, which can help to
evaluate the effectiveness of a patient's treatment plan, allowing
the course of care to be adjusted if necessary. Apart from its
vital role in oncology it can estimate brain's blood flow and
metabolic activity. A PET scan can help finding nervous system
problems, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease,
multiple sclerosis, transient ischemic attack (TIA), amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington's disease, stroke, and
schizophrenia. It can find changes in the brain that may cause
epilepsy. PET scan is also increasingly being used to find poor
blood flow to the heart, which may mean coronary artery disease. It
can most accurately estimate the extent of damage to the heart
tissue especially after a heart attack and help choose the best
treatment, such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery, stenting
or medical treatment. It can also contribute significantly in
identifying areas exactly where radiotherapy is to be targeted
avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure to surrounding tissue.
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