Oblique angle bone SPECT imaging of the lumbar spine, pelvis, and hips. An anatomic study

Bone SPECT offers advantages over planar imaging in detecting skeletal lesions because of increased contrast enhancement and tomographic effect with the latter, allowing for precise anatomic localization of an uncovered abnormality. However, tomographic sections of curved structures or regions obliquely oriented to the reconstruction plane may have inherent limitations as far as case of image interpretation, which can be overcome by oblique reorientation of the SPECT views. A method for oblique angle presentation of the lumbar spine, pelvis, and hips has been developed with results correlated with radiographic tomograms of a phantom to order to ensure correct anatomic orientation. These oblique SPECT images allow for easier differentiation between facet and pars interarticularis abnormalities, as well as improved imaging of hips and sacrum.