Anatomic breast imaging techniques such as mammography and ultrasound are very useful in the detection of breast cancer, but can have limited sensitivity and positive predictive value, particularly in patients with dense breasts (Kolb et al., 2002). These limitations have provided the impetus for adjunctive technologies such as nuclear medicine and PET based diagnostic imaging procedures. The n...

Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) is a novel imaging technology utilizing a dedicated Positron Emission Breast scanner. Two detectors in a configuration that resembles a conventional mammography (MG) machine cover a 250x120x200 mm3 volume, yielding 3D images of the breast, which is fixated between the detectors, but not compressed. The procedure depends on the administration of a radioactive ...

BACKGROUND Imaging the breast is a vital component not only for breast cancer screening, but also for diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and follow-up of patients with breast cancer. METHODS The author reviews recent advances and also provides her personal experience in describing the status of digital mammography, computer-aided detection, dedicated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and posit...

as a nuclear approach, positron emission tomography (pet) is a functional imaging technique which is based on the detection of gamma ray pairs emitted by a positron-emitting radionuclide. there are certain limitations to this technique such as normal tissue uptake. therefore, it has been recommended that patients prepare before scanning. fasting for a short while before pet imaging is an exampl...

introduction while primary malignant tumors of the heart are rare, angiosarcomas are the most common cardiac malignant tumors. case presentation we describe a 23-year-old woman who presented with a right atrial mass, which was discovered to be a cardiac angiosarcoma. we demonstrate the use of several noninvasive imaging modalities along with pathology confirmation for the definitive and compreh...

Objective To compare the diagnostic performance of three-dimensional (3D) positron emission mammography (PEM) versus whole body positron emission tomography (WBPET) for breast cancer. Methods A total of 410 women with normal breast or benign or highly suspicious malignant tumors were randomized at 1 : 1 ratio to undergo 3D-PEM followed by WBPET or WBPET followed by 3D-PEM. Lumpectomy or maste...

combined pet/ct scanners now play a major role in medicine for in vivo imaging in oncology, cardiology, neurology, and psychiatry. as the performance of a scanner depends not only on the scintillating material but also on the scanner design, with regards to the advent of newer scanners, there is a need to optimize acquisition protocols as well as to compare scanner performances on an objective ...