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Single-photon emission computed tomography for the characterization of intracranial lesions
GA Alexiou
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
Correspondence Address:
G A Alexiou
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina
Greece
How to cite this article:
Alexiou G A. Single-photon emission computed tomography for the characterization of intracranial lesions.J Postgrad Med 2009;55:159-159
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How to cite this URL:
Alexiou G A. Single-photon emission computed tomography for the characterization of intracranial lesions. J Postgrad Med [serial online] 2009 [cited 2023 Mar 31 ];55:159-159
Available from: https://www.jpgmonline.com/text.asp?2009/55/3/159/57385 |
Full Text
The present study has provided further evidence for the importance of brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in the assessment of intracranial lesions.[1] Glucoheptonate was shown to be a suitable radiotracer with high sensitivity and specificity for the differentiation of neoplastic from non-neoplastic intracerebral lesions. This differentiation is of paramount importance for the patients management and prognosis.
The neuromorphologic imaging provided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) faces inherent limitations for the metabolic assessment of intracranial lesions. The latest MR techniques such as MR perfusion, diffusion and spectroscopy are promising but further studies are needed. Nuclear medicine techniques, namely SPECT and positron emission tomography (PET) have the ability to evaluate the metabolic status of an intracranial lesion. Nevertheless, PET is not widely available and is expensive. SPECT has been used as an alternative imaging technique. Various radiotracers have been evaluated and apart from glucoheptonate, 99mTc-hexakis-2-methoxy isobutyl isonitrile and 99mTc-Tetrofosmin have proved to be suitable for brain tumor imaging. [2],[3],[4] SPECT imaging can provide important information for the differentiation of glioma recurrence from radiation necrosis, neoplastic from non-neoplastic intracerebral hemorrhage, evaluation of brain tumor aggressiveness, response to treatment and prognosis. [2],[3],[4],[5],[6],[7] Overall, there is a need for well-designed, prospective comparative studies between SPECT and PET radiotracers and with the novel MR techniques.
References
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