Advancing Nuclear Medicine: A Review Article

The development of radiopharmaceuticlesand evolution of nuclear medicine instrumentation often go hand in hand. There are many examples throughout the history of nuclear medicine where discoveries in one technology have driven discoveries in the other. The major limitation of nuclear imaging is limited resolution power to define precise anatomical location of diseases. To overcome this limitation, the molecular and functional imaging provided by PET and the anatomical imaging provided by CT, have been merged into hybrid imaging using combined scanners such as PET/CT and SPECT. These hybrid modalities allow in single diagnostic procedure and combined evaluation of function. Keyword: nuclear imaging,PET, radiopharmaceuticles,SPECT, technologies.