Abstract:
Background: Positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) is currently one of the most widely used
imaging modalities. Both the technology and the radiopharmaceutical were conceived in the 1970s, facing a variety of challenges. Nowadays,
a variety of PET techniques using partial volume correction and segmentation allow accurate quantification of metabolic activity in different
tissues of the human body in normal and disease states.
Content: The presentation reviews the long journey of FDG-PET from its origin up to date with a large number of case illustrations, including
the first images obtained personally while working on developing the modality in the 1970’s. A brief summary of the imaging equipment
and its evolution as well as the main contributions of FDG-PET imaging to medical practice and research activities are also discussed.
Conclusion: FDG-PET-CT imaging has had a substantial impact on research and on the day to day practice of medicine. This has resulted
in minimizing pain and suffering for millions of patients and in reducing the cost of health care worldwide.
Description:
Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA, The IVth Congress of Radiology and Medical Imaging of the Republic of Moldova with international participation, Chisinau, May 31 – June 2, 2018
