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Essentials of Quantitative Imaging with PET

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Nuclear Medicine Textbook

Abstract

The two most important characteristics of positron emission tomography (PET) are its high sensitivity (pico- to nan-molar range) and its ability to accurately measure the concentration of a positron-emitting radionuclide within the human body. In fact, PET was developed in the 1970s as a noninvasive in vivo method to measure regional physiology (originally blood flow, oxygen utilization, and glucose metabolism) in humans [1, 2]. Its high sensitivity facilitated the development of tracer studies of neuroreceptors in the 1980s. The high sensitivity of PET technology utilized amounts of labeled compounds that did not affect the receptors themselves (negligible receptor occupancy). At the same time, proper quantification remained important for correct interpretation of the signals captured in the image. Both sensitivity and quantitative accuracy are unique for PET and make it the method of choice for investigating molecular targets and interactions in vivo.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Adriaan A. Lammertsma

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  1. Adriaan A. Lammertsma
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Correspondence to Adriaan A. Lammertsma .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Regional Center of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Translational Research and Advanced Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Duccio Volterrani

  2. Regional Center of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Translational Research and Advanced Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Paola Anna Erba

  3. Hosp. Sant Pau, Nuclear Medicine Department, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Ignasi Carrió

  4. Molecular Imaging and Therapy Department, Cornell University Weill, New York, NY, USA

    H. William Strauss

  5. Regional Center of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Translational Research and Advanced Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Giuliano Mariani

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Lammertsma, A.A. (2019). Essentials of Quantitative Imaging with PET. In: Volterrani, D., Erba, P.A., Carrió, I., Strauss, H.W., Mariani, G. (eds) Nuclear Medicine Textbook. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95564-3_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95564-3_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-95563-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-95564-3

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