The gamma camera has been a stalwart of nuclear medicine for many years. First described in 1958 by Hal Anger, the gamma camera is still the most used instrument for nuclear medicine imaging studies. While the transition to rotating tomographic SPECT systems and the incorporation of CT for SPECT attenuation correction and localisation has changed […]
Professor John C Dickson
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Foot and ankle injuries are common, chronic pain is prevalent and many patients present with symptoms that cannot be fully explained by conventional imaging techniques. This article will explore the increasing role of SPECT/CT in the investigation of common foot and ankle pathologies. Conventional diagnostic techniques such as plain radiography, ultrasound, CT and MRI currently […]
Dr Luke Zhu, Dr Malavika Nathan
West Midlands Deanery; Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
The national and global impact of cancer is an important consideration for healthcare services worldwide. In the UK, over half of adults under 65 years of age will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime. Bone metastases can contribute greatly to cancer morbidity with complications such as bone pain, hypercalcaemia, pathological fractures […]
Dr Hend Komber, Dr Rob Foley, Dr Stewart Redman, Professor Richard Graham, Dr David Little
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Nuclear medicine imaging has always played an important role in the management of patients with prostate cancer, both pre and post therapy. This has primarily been through the use of conventional gamma camera imaging and bone scans for the detection of metastatic bone disease for which prostate cancer has a predilection. The role of nuclear […]
Dr Brent Drake, Dr Thomas Gruning, Dr Peter Sankey, Dr Asha Omar
The Royal Marsden Hospital; Derriford Hospital; University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
SPECT/CT can be performed to help evaluate potential causes of lower back pain. It can be used as a problem-solver where other imaging techniques have not provided a diagnosis, or to answer a specific question such as localisation of a site of primary pain generation. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has a better contrast […]
Dr James Howard
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
SPECT/CT has established itself as a powerful diagnostic tool in nuclear medicine. The combined advantages of high sensitivity SPECT imaging with high specificity CT imaging has been shown to be superior to planar and SPECT imaging for many clinical indications. The CT component of SPECT/CT improves image quality through attenuation correction (AC), precise anatomical localisation […]
Dr Malavika Nathan
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Radionuclide imaging can demonstrate whole body functional/metabolic information and plays an important role in oncology clinical and research practice. It is integral to many clinical pathways, assisting in diagnosis and staging, pre-operative localisation, monitoring response and detecting recurrence. However, planar scintigraphy and SPECT lack anatomical and structural details resulting in low specificity and sensitivity with […]
Dr Fraser Hendry, Dr Sai Han
Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Gartnavel General Hospital
Single photon emission tomography computed tomography (SPECT/CT) imaging, with its innate ability to detect and characterise abnormalities in their earliest forms, can be a meaningful tool for determining prompt diagnoses and developing personalised treatment strategies. Such a tool is invaluable as we move towards precision medicine, and the significant addition of reliable quantitative measurements only […]
Stefan Voo, James Ross, Sabina Dizdarevic, John Dickson
University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust