title: Appropriate indications for positron emission tomography/computed tomography, 2015.
abstract: These recommendations are intended to serve an important and relevant role in advising referring physicians on the appropriate use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) and non-18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), which can be a powerful tool in patient management in oncology, cardiology, neurology and infection/inflammation. PET is a non-invasive molecular imaging tool that provides tomographic images and quantitative parameters of perfusion, cell viability, proliferation and/or metabolic activity of tissues. These images result from the use of different substances of biological interest (sugars, amino acids, metabolic precursors, hormones) labelled with positron-emitting radionuclides (PET radiopharmaceuticals). Fusion of the aforementioned important functional information with the morphological detail provided by CT as PET/CT provides clinicians with a sensitive and accurate one-step whole-body diagnostic and prognostic tool, which directs and changes patient management. Hence PET/CT is currently the most widely used molecular imaging technology for a patient-tailored treatment approach. In these recommendations we outline which oncological and non-oncological indications are appropriate for PET/CT. Once each combination of pathology and clinical indication is defined, a recommendation is given as: 1. Recommended; 2. Recommended in select cases; 3. May be considered; or 4. Not recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa. mike.sathekge@up.ac.za.
authors.forename: Mariza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vorster
authors.forename: Alexia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doruyter
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brink
authors.forename: Sonto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mkhize
authors.forename: Jen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holness
authors.forename: Nico
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malan
authors.forename: Nozipho
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nyakale
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Warwick
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sathekge
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results