A brain imaging technique that permits evaluation of regional metabolic differences by looking at radioisotope distribution. By using positron-emitting isotopes of glucose, oxygen, neurotransmitters, or drugs, one can localize sites of increased (or decreased) metabolic turnover or blood flow in a wide variety of neurological or psychiatric conditions. The visual display is similar to that in computed tomography (CT).
A noninvasive radio-graphic study of the blood flow in specific organs and body tissues.
A method of scanning the tissues of the brain, chest and abdomen for unusual metabolic activity after injecting a radioactive substance into the body.
A diagnostic study employing computer analysis of photons detected to determine localization of metabolic and physiologic function.
A complex radiologic procedure that assesses biochemical activity in the brain and other organs.
A form of computed tomography using the positron emissions of radioactive tracers to monitor, or “image,” certain biochemical reactions in the body. The positrons emitted by the tracer quickly annihilate with surrounding electrons, giving rise to a pair of gamma rays which are recorded in detectors located outside the body. In this way the site and rate of positron emissions can be computer reconstructed, providing information about the relative chemical activity at various points in the body.
A diagnostic imaging technique which records biochemical and physiological maps of the body created by emissions from radioactive compounds.
Reconstruction of brain sections by using positron-emitting radionuclides. By using several different radionuclides, researchers can measure regional cerebral blood flow, blood volume, oxygen uptake, and glucose transport and metabolism, and can locate neurotransmitter receptors. PET has been used with fludeoxyglucose F 18 to identify and localize regional lymph node metastases and to help assess response to therapy.