Preliminary results for positron emission mammography: real-time functional breast imaging in a conventional mammography gantry.
In order to optimally integrate radiotracer breast imaging within the breast clinic, anatomy and pathology should be easily correlated with functional nuclear medicine breast images. As a first step in the development of a hybrid functional/anatomic breast imaging platform with biopsy capability, a conventional X-ray mammography gantry was modified to image the compressed breast with positron emitters. Phantom studies with the positron emission mammography (PEM) device showed that a 1-cc hot spot could be detected within 5 min. A preliminary clinical trial demonstrated in vivo visualization of primary breast cancer within 4 min. For sites where positron-emitting radionuclides are available, PEM promises to achieve low-cost directed functional examination of breast abnormalities, with the potential for achieving X-ray correlation and image-guided biopsy.
Weinberg
I
I
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.
Majewski
S
S
Weisenberger
A
A
Markowitz
A
A
Aloj
L
L
Majewski
L
L
Danforth
D
D
Mulshine
J
J
Cowan
K
K
Zujewski
J
J
Chow
C
C
Jones
E
E
Chang
V
V
Berg
W
W
Frank
J
J
D001940:Breast / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005260:Female; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000295:instrumentation; D008875:Middle Aged; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D013997:Time Factors; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003847:Deoxyglucose