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However, perhaps the most important need for further utilization of PET imaging is the development of new radiopharmaceuticals or radiotracer compounds and better understanding of cellular physiology and metabolism in disease states. New geometries are being studied especially to develop organ specific imaging devices, new detector materials are being developed and techniques for reconstruction are improving. PET allows study of body function it helps detection of alterations in biochemical processes that suggest disease before changes in anatomy are apparent with other imaging tests, such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Myocardial viability is usually assessed using perfusion studies with Signal photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) but in case of inconclusive result, metabolic assessment with short-lived PET tracers may be more decisive. With the introduction of improved instruments and suitable radionuclide, applications in oncology have developed into the major clinical uses of PET. Most of the early works with PET focused on brain metabolism, partly because of the smaller size of detector needed to study head. In the last thirty years PET imaging has been extensively used in research, but only in the last few years the technology has become more widely available for clinical applications. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging devices were first developed in the 1970.

Microsoft Encarta Reference Library Premium 2005 DVD