[Usefulness of positron emission tomography-computed tomography in respiratory medicine]

The introduction of positron emission tomography (PET) into the management of neoplastic disease in respiratory patients signified an important change from classic algorithms based exclusively on anatomic information obtained through computed tomography (CT). Non-small cell lung cancer and solitary pulmonary nodule were the 2 diseases in which metabolic PET imaging offered the highest diagnostic yield, as has been evident since the inclusion of this technology among the services available within the Spanish national health service. However, a number of limitations were encountered in relation to the lack of anatomic definition in PET imaging, as had been described in the literature. The appearance in 2001 of hybrid PET-CT devices has not only helped remedy those defects, but has also made it possible to combine anatomic and metabolic information in a single image, making this hybrid technology the most valuable tool in the current diagnostic arsenal.