Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Hamish Smith had no recorded disclosures.
View Hamish Smith's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had the following disclosures:
- Philips Australia, Paid speaker at Philips Spectral CT events (ongoing)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosures- SPECT
- SPECT/CT
- Single photon emission computed tomography
- SPECTCT
- CT/SPECT
- SPECT-CT
Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a three-dimensional nuclear medicine imaging technique combining the information gained from scintigraphy with that of computed tomography. This allows the distribution of the radionuclide to be displayed in a three-dimensional manner offering better detail, contrast and spatial information than planar nuclear imaging alone.
SPECT and PET have several similarities but there are major differences which contribute to differing indications, which are discussed here.
On this page:
Design
SPECT machines combine an array of gamma cameras (ranging from one to four cameras) which rotate around the patient on a gantry. SPECT may be also combined with a separate CT machine in a form of hybrid imaging; single photon emission computed tomography-computerized tomography (SPECT-CT) mainly for the purposes of attenuation correction and anatomical localization 1.
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Principle
Gamma cameras rotate around the patient providing spatial information on the distribution of the radionuclide within tissues. The use of multiple gamma cameras increases detector efficiency and spatial resolution. The projection data obtained from the cameras are then reconstructed into three-dimensional images usually in axial slices 1-3. When SPECT-CT is used, attenuation correction and higher resolution anatomical localization can be achieved 1.
Uses
brain imaging (perfusion and receptor-binding radiotracers)
Quality control
Upon installation of the SPECT system, tests should be performed to ensure the system functions properly in a proper and stable environment. The sets of tests that should be performed are as below 4:
physical and mechanical inspection of the system
determine the absolute size of a pixel
determine the tomographic uniformity
determine the tomographic resolution in air
determine the tomographic resolution with scatter
determine the offset for center of rotation and alignment of axes
determine slice thickness at the central slice
determine the variations of uniformity and sensitivity with rotation of the system
References
- 1. Roarke MC, Nguyen BD, Pockaj BA. Applications of SPECT/CT in nuclear radiology. (2008) AJR. American journal of roentgenology. 191 (3): W135-50. doi:10.2214/AJR.07.3564 - Pubmed
- 2. Hutton BF. The origins of SPECT and SPECT/CT. (2014) European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. 41 Suppl 1: S3-16. doi:10.1007/s00259-013-2606-5 - Pubmed
- 3. Tsui BM. The AAPM/RSNA physics tutorial for residents. Physics of SPECT. (1996) Radiographics : a review publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. 16 (1): 173-83. doi:10.1148/radiographics.16.1.173 - Pubmed
- 4. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Quality Assurance for SPECT Systems, IAEA Human Health Series No. 6, IAEA, Vienna (2009). International Atomic Energy Agency
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