title: (68)Ga PET Ventilation and Perfusion Lung Imaging-Current Status and Future Challenges.
abstract: Gallium-68 ((68)Ga) is a positron-emitting radionuclide suitable for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging that has a number of convenient features-it has a physical half life of 68 minutes, it is generator produced at the PET facility and needs no local cyclotron, and being a radiometal is able to be chelated to a number of useful molecules for diagnostic imaging with PET. (68)Ga has recently been investigated as a radiotracer for ventilation and perfusion (V/Q) lung imaging. It is relatively easy to produce both V/Q radiopharmaceuticals labeled with (68)Ga for PET studies, it offers higher spatial resolution than equivalent SPECT studies, the short half life allows for multiple (repeated) scans on the same day, and low amounts of radiotracer can be used thus limiting the radiation dose to the subject. In the usual clinical setting requiring a V/Q scan, that of suspected pulmonary embolism, the role of (68)Ga V/Q PET may be limited from a logistical perspective, however, in nonacute applications such as lung function evaluation, radiotherapy treatment planning, and respiratory physiology investigations it would appear to be an ideal modality to employ.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: Dale.Bailey@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Dale L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Enid M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Eslick
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia; Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Geoffrey P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Schembri
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia; Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Roach
mesh_terms: D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D055420:Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation
chemical_list: D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes