Resolution of PET and SPECT scan?
PET scan images are known to have a difficult resolution than images that are obtained from a SPECT scan. Why does the PET scan's image hold a higher resolution?
Answers:
It is inherent to the physics involved in the imaging method; SPECT is a "direct" image, to be precise, the gamma camera picks up the photon emitted by the radionuclide. PET is indirect, as it detects up the radiation emitted when the positron (the antimatter counterpart of an electron) from the radionuclide (PET = positron emission tomography) strikes an electron, emit 2 photons in opposite directions. Since SPECT relies on calculating position based on a single photon from a given location (SPECT stands for "single photon flow computed tomography"), it is inherently less precise than PET, which calculates position based on 2 photons from a given location, so PET have higher resolution. You can sort of think of it with an analogy - if you needed to estimate the distance to an object, you'd be closer to the actual distance if both you and a friend could both see the object and compare estimates, as opposed to freshly you standing there and estimating the difference. Of course, this increased resolution comes at a price, and PET is far more expensive than SPECT.
Related Questions:
Centrum A-Zinc and tylenol pm?
What does a clinical pharmacist do?
Do beta blockers stop excessive sweating, and are they available over the counter or to buy online?
Answers:
It is inherent to the physics involved in the imaging method; SPECT is a "direct" image, to be precise, the gamma camera picks up the photon emitted by the radionuclide. PET is indirect, as it detects up the radiation emitted when the positron (the antimatter counterpart of an electron) from the radionuclide (PET = positron emission tomography) strikes an electron, emit 2 photons in opposite directions. Since SPECT relies on calculating position based on a single photon from a given location (SPECT stands for "single photon flow computed tomography"), it is inherently less precise than PET, which calculates position based on 2 photons from a given location, so PET have higher resolution. You can sort of think of it with an analogy - if you needed to estimate the distance to an object, you'd be closer to the actual distance if both you and a friend could both see the object and compare estimates, as opposed to freshly you standing there and estimating the difference. Of course, this increased resolution comes at a price, and PET is far more expensive than SPECT.
Related Questions: