Total-body PET for screening and ultra-low-dose imaging
Scanners sensitive enough to image the whole body in seconds at a fraction of the radiation dose, which raises the question of whether healthy people should be scanned at all.
Overview
Total-body PET systems capture the entire body in one field of view with roughly forty times the sensitivity of conventional scanners, enabling minute-long scans, tracer doses a fraction of the usual, and dynamic whole-body kinetics. That makes asymptomatic screening technically conceivable for the first time, but there is no evidence of mortality benefit, and incidentalomas, cost and radiation argue against it. The near-term value is in dosimetry, paediatrics and pharmacokinetic research.
How it works
A long axial field-of-view detector ring captures far more of the emitted photons, letting sensitivity be traded for dose, time, or both.
- Ultra-low-dose or ultra-fast scans
- Whole-body kinetic modelling for radioligand dosimetry
- Better paediatric and repeat imaging
- No screening evidence and likely overdiagnosis
- Scanner cost limits access
- Tracer supply and reimbursement
Latest papers
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