The field of nuclear medicine is undergoing rapid expansion, and is evolving into diagnostic molecular imaging. During recent years, dual-modality imaging with PET/CT has gained acceptance and this is currently the fastest-growing technique for oncological imaging applications. The glucose analogue FDG has held its place in diagnostic oncology, assessment of myocardial viability and diagnosis of neuro-degenerative disorders. Peptides have become even more important as imaging agents. The accuracy of hepatobiliary scintigraphy has been enhanced by cholecystokinin. The use of ACE inhibitors in the evaluation of renovascular hypertension has become the standard in renography. New instrumentation has led to faster scanners, and computer development to better image processing software. Automatic processing is more common, and standardization of protocols can be accomplished easily. The field of gene imaging has progressed, although routine clinical applications are not yet available. The present text, supplemented with many detailed and informative illustrations, represents an adjunct to the standard knowledge of diagnostic nuclear medicine and provides both the student and the professional with an overview of developments during the past decade.

Zusammenfassung

The field of nuclear medicine is undergoing rapid expansion, and is evolving into diagnostic molecular imaging. During recent years, dual-modality imaging with PET/CT has gained acceptance and this is currently the fastest-growing technique for oncological imaging applications. The glucose analogue FDG has held its place in diagnostic oncology, assessment of myocardial viability and diagnosis of neuro-degenerative disorders. Peptides have become even more important as imaging agents. The accuracy of hepatobiliary scintigraphy has been enhanced by cholecystokinin. The use of ACE inhibitors in the evaluation of renovascular hypertension has become the standard in renography. New instrumentation has led to faster scanners, and computer development to better image processing software. Automatic processing is more common, and standardization of protocols can be accomplished easily. The field of gene imaging has progressed, although routine clinical applications are not yet available. The present text, supplemented with many detailed and informative illustrations, represents an adjunct to the standard knowledge of diagnostic nuclear medicine and provides both the student and the professional with an overview of developments during the past decade.

Inhalt
Neurochemical Imaging with Emission Tomography: Clinical Applications.- Assessment of Myocardial Viability by Radionuclide Techniques.- Thromboembolism Imaging.- Renal Imaging.- Skeletal Scintigraphy.- Imaging Infection and Inflammation.- Gastrointestinal Nuclear Medicine.- Hepatobiliary Scintigraphy.- Peptide Imaging.- FDG-PET Imaging in Oncology.- PET/CT in Lung, Head and Neck Cancer.- PET/CT Imaging in Breast Cancer, Gastrointestinal Cancers, Gynecological Cancers and Lymphoma.- Pediatric Nuclear Medicine: A Coming of Age.- Radiopharmaceuticals: Recent Developments and Trends.- Instrumentation and Data Acquisition.- Image Formation.- Imaging Gene Expression: Concepts and Future Outlook.- Quo Vadis?.