Current status of PET in the United States

Abstract

PET imaging is having a major impact in patient care. The increasing utilization of PET is related to several major factors: clinical data demonstrating the usefulness, reimbursement, availability of instrumentation and distribution of FDG. We are just beginning to see the “tip of the iceberg” in the clinical and research utilization of PET. PET is a molecular imaging technique, and PET imaging will be the major imaging modality of molecular medicine. The ability to label molecules with positron-emitting radionuclides and quantitatively determine their distribution will be important in disease characterization, drug discovery, drug therapy and gene therapy [8]. These uses will frequently begin with the mouse, which is the animal most widely used in drug development and in gene therapy. Systems such as the microPET permit high resolution (1-2 mm) of PET tracers in small animals including mice [2, 12]. These studies can then be performed in adult subjects to verify the results obtained in animals. The ethical drug industry is beginning to adapt this technology in their developmental efforts.