The origins of positron emission tomography.
The development of positron emission tomography (PET) took place through the combination of the following recognitions: (1) a handful of short-lived, positron-emitting radionuclides, carbon-11, nitrogen-13, and oxygen-15, exhibit chemical properties that render them particularly suitable for the tracing of important physiological pathways, and (2) the radiation emitted as a result of the annihilation of positrons in matter exhibited physical properties that made it well-suited for nuclear medicine imaging, particularly for tomographic reconstruction. The scientific building blocks that were necessary for the structure of PET were contributed over a period of several decades by many investigators in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and fundamental biology.
Ter-Pogossian
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Washington University, St Louis, MO.
D005544:Forecasting; D049673:History, 20th Century; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000266:history