Shtern F
Division of Cancer Treatment, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20852.
Invest Radiol. 1992 Feb;27(2):165-8. doi: 10.1097/00004424-199202000-00015.
Currently used clinical diagnostic imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and x-ray computed tomography (CT) provide predominantly anatomic information. CT images reflect x-ray attenuation distribution in the body, whereas MRI signals depend primarily on proton density and tissue relaxivity. In contrast to these predominantly anatomic modalities, positron emission tomography (PET) reflects tissue physiology and metabolism. Although PET has been used predominantly as a research tool, the clinical use of this technique for the detection, noninvasive characterization, and treatment planning of selected disease processes has been extensively studied in oncology, cardiology, and neurology. The author examined currently available literature to reassess the potential role of PET as a diagnostic tool in the following specific clinical situations: (1) the differentiation of radiation necrosis from tumor recurrence; (2) the characterization of the physiologic significance of coronary stenosis and the evaluation of the myocardial viability; and (3) the localization of the epileptogenic foci.
目前使用的临床诊断成像方式，如磁共振成像（MRI）和X射线计算机断层扫描（CT），主要提供解剖学信息。CT图像反映身体内X射线衰减分布，而MRI信号主要取决于质子密度和组织弛豫性。与这些主要的解剖学成像方式不同，正电子发射断层扫描（PET）反映组织生理学和代谢情况。尽管PET主要用作研究工具，但该技术在肿瘤学、心脏病学和神经病学中已被广泛研究用于某些疾病过程的检测、无创特征描述及治疗规划。作者查阅了当前可得文献，以重新评估PET作为诊断工具在以下特定临床情况中的潜在作用：（1）区分放射性坏死与肿瘤复发；（2）确定冠状动脉狭窄的生理意义及评估心肌存活性；（3）定位致痫灶。
