WE‐SAM‐201B‐02: SPECT/CT: Basics, Quality Assurance, and Clinical Applications

Single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) together with computed tomography (CT), commonly referred to as SPECT/CT, is rapidly becoming a mainstream imaging modality and creating a new paradigm for SPECT imaging. The ability to contemporaneously acquire electro‐mechanically registered dual‐modality SPECT and CT scans improves the SPECT image quality due to CT‐based attenuation correction and enhances the diagnostic confidence of SPECT by providing a CT‐based anatomical overlay. The utilization of SPECT/CT has been mainly in the field of oncology with applications including: tumor localization, differential diagnosis, staging and response to treatment, pre‐surgical planning, radiation therapy treatment planning, and quantitative SPECT/CT‐based internal radionuclide therapy dosimetry/treatment planning. SPECT/CT is also being utilized for cardiac and skeletal imaging and imaging of other non‐malignant diseases. This lecture will review the physics principles underlying SPECT and SPECT/CT imaging, discuss quality assurance of SPECT/CT systems, and present several examples of the clinical application of SPECT/CT. Learning Objectives: 1. To understand the physics principles underlying SPECT/CT image acquisition, processing and reconstruction 2. To understand the quality assurance procedures specific to hybrid SPECT/CT system 3. To become familiar with clinical applications of SPECT/CT imaging.