Positron emission tomography and radiotherapy treatment planning

Abstract

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a radioisotope imaging method for obtaining information on the status of organs and metabolisms within the human body. The imaging principle used in PET is the coincidence detection of two 511 KeV annihilation photons-originated electron-positron annihilation. In practice, a radiopharmaceutical (e.g., F-18-FDG) obtained by uniting a positron emitter radioisotope (e.g., C-11, N-13, O-15, F-18) and glucose molecule is given to the patient by way of blood injection. PET detects these 511 KeV annihilation photons accumulated in the abnormal structures and then three-dimensional imaging of the body is created by the computer. In this review of the imaging principle of PET, scintillation crystals, PET radioisotopes and PET for radiotherapy treatment planning are discussed.

Keywords

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Pozitron emisyon tomografi ve radyoterapi tedavi planlama

Öz

Pozitron emisyon tomografi (PET), insan vücudundaki organlar ve metabolizmaların görüntülenmesini sağlayan bir radyoizotop görüntüleme tekniğidir. Görüntüleme ilkesi olarak pozitronun-elektron yok olma olayı sonucunda ortaya çıkan iki adet 511 KeV enerjili yok olma fotonun eş zamanlı deteksiyonu kullanılmaktadır. Uygulamada C-11, N-13, O-15, F-18 gibi pozitron yayınlayan radyoizotopların glikoz molekülü ile birleştirilmesi sonucu elde edilen radyofarmasötik (örneğin; F-18-FDG) hastaya kan yolu ile verilir. Vücuttaki anormal yapılarda biriken bu radyofarmasötikten elde edilen 511 KeV fotonları PET cihazında algılanarak bilgisayarda vücudun 3-boyutlu görüntüsü elde edilmektedir. Bu yazıda, PET'in temel çalışma ilkesi, PET sintilasyon kristalleri, PET radyoizotopları ve radyoterapi tedavi planlamada PET hakkında bilgiler verilecektir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Biyolojik target volüm, pozitron-elektron yokolması, pozitron emisyon tomografi, radyoterapi tedavi planlama

Kaynakça

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