Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
07:45
Preclinical Positron Emission Tomography with Body Conforming Animal Molds for Cloud-Based Automated Image Analysis in Mice
Published on: October 25, 2024
Is there already value in "Total Body PET" imaging in Neurology?
Alexander Hammers1,2,3
1King' College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK.
The British Journal of Radiology
|May 29, 2026
Summary
Total-body PET (TBP) imaging offers significant advancements in brain imaging, including lower radiation doses and faster scans. This technology enhances patient comfort, facilitates research, and improves quantitative measurements for various brain conditions.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Medicine
- Radiological Imaging
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) has revolutionized medical imaging, but limitations exist.
- Total-body PET (TBP) represents a significant technological advancement over conventional PET scanners.
- TBP offers enhanced sensitivity and a larger field-of-view, impacting various clinical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the benefits and potential of Total-body PET (TBP) in brain imaging.
- To discuss the impact of TBP on patient care, research, and quantitative analysis in neuroimaging.
- To explore the emerging applications and future directions of TBP in brain imaging.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature and early clinical experiences with Total-body PET scanners.
- Analysis of TBP's technical advantages, including increased sensitivity and extended axial field-of-view.
- Discussion of specific applications in brain imaging, such as perfusion measurements and multitracer studies.
Main Results:
- TBP enables lower injected radiotracer doses, benefiting patients and staff, and facilitating multitracer research.
- Shortened scan times improve patient comfort and may reduce the need for anesthesia in pediatric patients.
- Enhanced sensitivity and quantification capabilities allow for improved modeling, assessment of intravascular concentrations, and brain-body interactions.
Conclusions:
- Total-body PET (TBP) offers substantial added value to brain imaging, despite some remaining technical challenges.
- TBP facilitates advanced quantitative measurements, including brain perfusion and systemic effects of neurological diseases.
- The technology promises exciting future developments and expanded applications in neuroscience and clinical practice.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Positron Emission Tomography
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a medical imaging technique involving radiopharmaceuticals — substances that emit short-lived radiation. Although the first PET scanner was introduced in 1961, it took 15 more years before radiopharmaceuticals were combined with the technique and revolutionized its potential.
One of the main requirements of a PET scan is a positron-emitting radioisotope, which is produced in a cyclotron and then attached to a substance used by the part of the body being...
One of the main requirements of a PET scan is a positron-emitting radioisotope, which is produced in a cyclotron and then attached to a substance used by the part of the body being...
01:14Brain Imaging
Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
01:25Imaging Studies II: Positron Emission Tomography and Scintigraphy
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a medical imaging technique that provides crucial insights into the body's physiological functions at a molecular level. It is an indispensable resource for diagnosing, staging, and monitoring various illnesses, notably cancer, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular conditions.
Fundamental Principles of PET
Fundamental Principles of PET
01:24Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive medical imaging technique based on a phenomenon of nuclear physics discovered in the 1930s, in which matter exposed to magnetic fields and radio waves was found to emit radio signals. In 1970, a physician and researcher named Raymond Damadian noticed that malignant (cancerous) tissue gave off different signals than normal body tissue. He applied for a patent for the first MRI scanning device in clinical use by the early 1980s. The early MRI...
01:10Computed Tomography
Tomography refers to imaging by sections. Computed tomography (CT) is a non-invasive imaging technique that uses computers to analyze several cross-sectional X-rays to reveal minute details about structures in the body.
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...