title: Tomographic imaging of the distal extremities using cone-beam collimation.
abstract: We evaluated the feasibility of cone-beam tomography (SPECT with a converging collimator) for detecting bone pathology of the distal extremities.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 11 patients: seven with hand or wrist pain, three with ankle pain and one with tibial pain. Cone-beam tomography was performed using a high-resolution converging collimator with a 45-cm focal length. Tomograms were then compared to high-resolution planar images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cone-beam tomography was successfully performed in all patients and tomograms were reconstructed in time for inclusion in the clinical report. In five patients, cone-beam tomography identified abnormalities that were equivocal or poorly defined on planar images. All other cone-beam studies provided the same information as the planar images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tomographic imaging of the distal extremities can be successfully performed by using cone-beam tomography which has been found to be feasible and potentially useful in the clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Albany Medical College, New York.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mahmood
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: McCandless
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005121:Extremities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000295:instrumentation*