What is SPECT ?
Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography is a technique that uses a computer for tomographic reconstruction (in a variety of planes, transaxial, coronal, sagital) of the distribution of a single photon gamma emitting radionuclide detected by a rotating gamma camera (the widely used Tc-99m, which emits single 140 kev gamma photons, is an example). Its essential goal is enhancement of the image detectability and the extraction of quantitative data from a true three dimensional distribution of structure (or radioactivity) in space. The title SPECT excludes positron emission tomography (PET) from discussion, as PET is based on the detection , by means of opposed detectors and coincidence counting techniques, of the two 511 kev photons which are simultaneously emitted in almost opposite directions by a positron emitting radionuclide. Any conventional (planar) imaging technique is restricted mainly to the visualization of objects in three dimensional space by two dimensional projection
SPECT is Single Photon Computerized Tomography. It is a technique that utilizes special medications called Radiopharmaceuticals that bind to the cells in the brain to provide a three dimensional representation of the blood flow to the different regions of the brain. Utilizing this technology allows the physician to see the blood flow patterns of the internal and external structures of the brain, which indicates the activity level of the different regions of the brain. This information is an essential tool to aid with the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions.
