Application of CT Research in Medicine - Article Example

SPECT/CT Technology for Bone Imaging Name: Institution: In explanation and introduction of the new technology in the health sector, SPECT/CT is a recent and a useful addition to the health sector and specifically nuclear radiology armamentarium. This is in line with the world vision to provide and update the current technology for improvement of the health sector in the world. The health professionals know this technology since it generates a co-registered SPECT and CT image. It is also popular to the health practitioners since the images are acquired using a single device and at single imaging session which is helpful in saving time and other side effects of rays. SPECT/CT is also similar conceptually to another technology called the PET/CT. However, the SPECT and CT images are more common since they are acquired during a single and an approximately 35-minute-long session of imaging (Cademartiri et al 2012). The CT information is a technology that is used to the attenuation correction and also for anatomic localization. However, although this CT image has a quality that is seen from the earlier generation, SPECT/CT hybrid scanners are not very adequate for the stand-alone diagnostic CT interpretation. This is in line with the newer generation devices that are responsible for providing higher and better quality anatomic MDCT images for the health practitioners to use (Fanti et al 2011). In a manner that is similar to the technology of PET/CT, this SPECT/CT is helpful since it provides complementary information, which is not redundant to the requirements, information. This is especially because different sites of abnormal radiopharmaceutical uptake on the SPECT images can be anatomically localized on CT. In addition, other anatomic abnormalities on the CT images are well known to draw attention for the subtle abnormalities and mostly to the tracer uptake on the SPECT. This is a lesson that is discovered on a preceding diagnostic imaging study that is mostly shown to the precisely matched area of the abnormal radiopharmaceutical uptake on SPECT. However, it is combined to become SPECT/CT and can be improved to test the specificity and by reducing all the uncertainties that can be associated with a low-resolution SPECT alone (Boucek & Turner, 2005). In this research, the researcher will illustrate all useful clinical applications of SPECT/CT, which are very useful and mostly came to relieve the health practitioners in their quest to achieving their targets of reducing the diseases that affect people. They include prostate cancer localization and staging, the localization of parathyroid adenomata, the sentinel lymph node mapping and more specifically the neuro-endocrine tumor, which is at staging, and localization. In addition, there is also an adjunct to the routine bone scintigraphy (Germano, & Berman, 2006). In addition, to this there are also several additional SPECT/CT applications that have been used and are well applied to the present world and has improved the health sector in a greater way. The applications may include in-labeled leukocyte imaging of inflammation, gallium and other infection detecting machines, radioiodine imaging for the thyroid cancer and more specifically the potentiality of the applications to detect the problems, also in the applications, there is any other application to which stand-alone SPECT should be indicated in the above (Dillman et al, 2009). Radiation dosimetry can be defined to be the measurement and also the calculation of the radiation dose that is received by the matter and tissues of the body that is resulting from the exposure to any indirect or even to some extent the direct ionizing radiation. In addition, it is a great and a better scientific sub-specialty, which is in this field of health physics and other medical physics, which are specifically focused on the calculation, and more specifically an analysis of the internal and other different external dose. In addition, internal dose is calculated from different and from a variety of many physiological techniques, whereas the external dose can be measured properly using a dosimeter or an inferred from different other radiation instruments. In addition, Dosimetry is another routinely applied technology to the occupational radiation workers. This is where mostly a radiation dose is expected, however, the regulatory levels should never be exceeded (Kim, 2007). In addition to this, it is also used in different places where too much radiation is unexpected. These are places such as in the aftermath of the Chernobyl or Fukishima radiological release incidents. These are the incidents where the public dose is usually measured and specifically calculated from a number of different indicators which may include ambient measurements of radiation and other different radioactive contaminations (Wyn Hogg, & Seeram, 2013). Accurate dosimetery is a technology that is used in the scanning of bones in the above health sector. It is used in radiotherapy and its accuracy is essential in realizing its main aim which is well stipulated to be, to eradicate the disease cancer while also minimizing the larger risk of several other severe side effects and this is due to different unavoidable irradiation of different healthy tissues and other organs. In addition to this, in the health sector and specifically there are different industrial irradiators for sterilization of the different medical equipments in the sector and specifically pharmaceuticals. Also, the there is a need for having an accurate dosimetry which is also governed by two different and opposing requirements which include, achieving a legal tolerance level for the microbiological contamination considering different methods of minimizing the economic cost to the patients (Wernick et al, 2004) SPECT for bone imaging have some electromagnetic radiations and the radiations have wavelength that are shorter than the ultraviolet rays however, they are longer than the gamma rays. In addition, there are hard X-rays that are commonly used to take an image which are also known as radiographic images. This is because they are able and do penetrate some solid objects like our bodies and more specifically the bones. Advantages of the usage of SPECT for bone:  SPECT bone imagings are helpful in the health sector. This is because they are used to treatment of malign tumors before their spread throughout the body of human being. They help the radiologists in the quest to identify either cracks, infections, breakage, injury, or any abnormal bones. SPECT bone imaging is mostly helpful in the fight of cancer since it is also helpful in identifying the bone cancer. Progressed technology of SPECT bone imaging help in locating some alien objects that can be inside the bones or even that are around them.    Disadvantages of the usage of SPECT for bone: SPECT for bone imaging makes the human blood cells to get a higher level of a chemical known as hydrogen peroxide and this in large quantities could cause cell damage. Patients that are subjected to several SPECT for bone imaging processes are at a higher risk of getting cancer from the technological processes. The usage of SPECT for bone is able to change the main base of a string of DNA that causes a mutation (Roach, et al, 2006). Hybrid CT imaging has always been clinically useful as compared to SPECT alone. This is because of the improved anatomic localization and a diagnostic certainty of a wide variety of clinical study types. In addition also, Hybrid low dose CT also provides a well arranged roadmap used for identification of the previously undetected and perhaps some subtle findings that are on anatomic imaging. The CT technologies in particular has been particularly very helpful for any further evaluation of uncertainty findings that are on planar or SPECT images alone. Also, the added value of CT ultimately impacts on the patient care and the management decisions. In addition, the CT component of the hybrid SPECT/CT cameras has been upgraded from the low-resolution and a single-slice CT scanner to a multi-slice scanner that is used nowadays. In line with this, in the future, different patients may be able to undergo a fully planned procedure at a single time point for the scanning. However, the disadvantages are the same as of use of SPECT imaging. The major being excessive of it may end up causing cancer (Henwood, 1999). The hybrid SPECT/CT is helpful in viewing the following bone disorders. Osteoporosis, this is a disorder of the bone and is known for the following characteristics, a decreased density and especially of the bones that hold the joints, which make the bones get a direct linkage to physical stress of the bone. It causes reduced bone mass and can be detected using this technology during its early stages. This makes the bones brittle and may cause bone fractures to the elderly or in the elderly stage of a human being (Delbeke & Israel, (2010). Others may include: Bone dislocation and breakage (Israel & Goldsmith, 2006), The radioiodine imaging for the thyroid cancer (Lee et al 2008), The localization of parathyroid adenomata References Boucek, J. A., & Turner, J. H. (January 01, 2005). Validation of prospective whole-body bone marrow dosimetry by SPECT/CT multimodality imaging in (131)I-anti-CD20 rituximab radioimmunotherapy of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 32, 4, 458-69. Cademartiri, F., Casolo, G., & Midiri, M. (2012). Clinical applications of cardiac CT. Milan: Springer. Delbeke, D., & Israel, O. (2010). Hybrid PET/CT and SPECT/CT imaging: A teaching file. New York: Springer. Dillman, J. R., Wong, K. K., Brown, R. K. J., Frey, K. A., & Strouse, P. J. (January 01, 2009). Utility of SPECT/CT with Meckel's scintigraphy. Annals of Nuclear Medicine, 23, 9, 813-815. Fanti, S., Farsad, M., & Mansi, L. (2011). Atlas of SPECT-CT. Berlin: Springer. Germano, G., & Berman, D. S. (2006). Clinical gated cardiac SPECT. Malden, Mass: Blackwell Futura. Henwood, S. (1999). Clinical CT: Techniques and practice. London: Greenwich Medical Media. Israel, O., & Goldsmith, S. J. (2006). Hybrid SPECT/CT imaging in clinical practice. 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