Ultra-High Resolution Brain PET: A 'Quantum Leap' for Neuroradiology
In a recent interview at the SNMMI conference, Roger Lecomte, Ph.D., and Vincent Doyon discussed the advent of ultra-high resolution (UHR) brain positron emission tomography (PET), which reportedly offers double the spatial resolution of conventional PET and may facilitate earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions.
Emphasizing pixelated detectors and an isotropic spatial resolution upward of 1.25 mm, ultra-high resolution (UHR) brain positron emission tomography (PET) represents a significant advance that provides improved characterization and quantification of brain regions that could not be seen with whole-body PET, noted Roger Lecomte, Ph.D., during a recent interview at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) conference.
“The spatial resolution is a factor of two better than HRRT (High Resolution Research Tomograph) and a factor of three better than any clinical scanners today. It’s a quantum leap in terms of spatial resolution,” said Dr. Lecomte, a professor of nuclear medicine and radiobiology at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada. “To image the brain where you have small structures in the cortex, the brain stem and different regions of the brain, spatial resolution is very important to be able to detect the uptake of radiotracers in very tiny structures.”
One of the areas of improvement with UHR PET imaging was the enhanced visualization of the subfields of the hippocampus that can play a role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, according to Vincent Doyon, who presented some of the preliminary findings with UHR PET at the SNMMI conference.
“Depending on how these subfields are affected in the disease, we can see whether treatments are effective for the patient,” added Doyon, a master’s student in the Department of Radiation Sciences and Biomedical Imaging at the University of Sherbrooke.
Donyon added that UHR PET offers enhanced visualization of brainstem nuclei, including raphe nuclei, that may aid in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorders.
For other insights from Dr. Lecomte and Mr. Doyon, watch the video below.
New Collaboration Offers Promise of Automating Prior Authorizations in Radiology with AI
March 26th 2025In addition to a variety of tools to promote radiology workflow efficiencies, the integration of the Gravity AI tools into the PowerServer RIS platform may reduce time-consuming prior authorizations to minutes for completion.
New Analysis Forecasts Substantial Cost Savings with the Use of Photon Counting CT for CCTA
March 8th 2025The use of ultra-high-resolution photon-counting CT in the evaluation of stable chest pain may significantly reduce follow-up tests and invasive coronary angiography (ICA) procedures, possibly resulting in millions in health-care cost savings, according to a cost-effectiveness analysis presented recently at the European Congress of Radiology.
Can Deep Learning Ultra-Fast bpMRI Have an Impact in Prostate Cancer Imaging?
March 3rd 2025A deep learning-enhanced ultra-fast bpMRI protocol offered similar sensitivity for csPCa as mpMRI with an 80 percent reduction in scan time, according to research findings presented at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) conference.
ECR Mammography Study: Pre-Op CEM Detects 34 Percent More Multifocal Masses than Mammography
February 28th 2025In addition to contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) demonstrating over a 90 percent detection rate for multifocal masses, researchers found that no significant difference between histological measurements and CEM, according to study findings presented at the European Congress of Radiology.
