OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate several methods to estimate glucose consumption in the male Wister rat brain as measured by PET. METHODS: Fourteen male Wistar normoglycemic rats were studied. The input function consisted of seventeen blood samples drawn manually from the femoral artery. Glucose uptake values were calculated using the input function resulting from the arterial blood samples and the tissue time-activity curve derived from the PET images. The estimated glucose consumption rate (Ki) based on the 2-tissue compartment model (2TCM) served as the standard for comparisons with the values calculated by the Patlak analysis and with the fractional uptake rate (FUR), standardized uptake value (SUV) and glucose corrected SUV (SUVglu). RESULTS: No significant difference between the standard Ki and the Patlak Ki was observed. The standard Ki was also found to have strong correlations and concordance with the Ki value estimated by the Patlak analysis. The FUR method presented an excellent correlation with the Ki value obtained by the 2TCM/Patlak analyses, in contrast to the SUV or SUVglu. CONCLUSIONS: From a methodological point of view, the present findings confirm the theoretical limitations of the cerebral SUV and SUVglu as a substitute for Ki in the estimation of glucose consumption in the brain. Our data suggest that the FUR is the surrogate to Ki.

Abstract Introduction The use of the same imaging and quantification techniques in small animals and clinical studies presents the opportunity for direct translational research in drug discovery and development, in neuropharmacological basis of neurological and psychiatric diseases, and in optimization of drug therapy. Thus, positron emission tomography (PET) studies in rodents can bridge the gap between pre-clinical and clinical research. The aim should be to find a method with capability to measure, without compromising accuracy, glucose distribution in the structures of the brain, which can also be used in pathological situations and with applicability for other substances than glucose analogue. Methods This is a systematic review of several assessment techniques available, including visual and quantitative methods that enable the investigation of the transport mechanisms and enzymes involved in glucose metabolism in the brain. In addition to the ex vivo methods, PET with glucose analogues allows in vivo analyses using qualitative, semiquantitative and quantitative methods. Results These techniques provide different results, and the applicability of a specific method is related to the purpose of the study and the multiple factors that may interfere in the process. Conclusion This review provides a solid background of tools and quantification methods for medical physicists and other professionals interested in cerebral glycolytic metabolism quantification in experimental animals. It also addresses the main factors related to animals, equipment and techniques that are used, as well as how these factors should be understood to better interpret the results obtained from experiments.

A medicina nuclear utiliza substâncias radioativas para diagnosticar e tratar doenças. Essa especialidade médica, capaz de fornecer informações fisiológicas e metabólicas sobre o corpo humano, se tornou uma ferramenta fundamental para a detecção precoce de muitas desordens, inclusive vários tipos de câncer. O presente artigo descreve os marcos históricos da medicina nuclear, os princípios físicos básicos que subjazem à tomografia por emissão de pósitrons (PET), um método de imagem usado para mapear a distribuição de radiofármacos no corpo para fins diagnósticos e terapêuticos, e o estado atual dessa modalidade no Brasil.

In nuclear medicine, radioactive substances are used to diagnose and treat disease. This medical specialty, that can provide information about the human body's physiologic and metabolic processes, has become a key diagnostic tool for the early detection of many different disorders, including various types of cancer. The present article describes the historical milestones in nuclear medicine; the basic physical principles underlying positron emission tomography (PET), which is an imaging method used to map the distribution of radiopharmaceuticals in the body for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, and the current status of this modality in Brazil.

Tomografia por emissão é uma modalidade de imagem médica que utiliza moléculas marcadas com radionuclídeos, os radiofármacos, para obter informação funcional sobre tecidos ou sistemas específicos. Em SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography), tomografia por emissão de fóton único, o radionuclídeo decai emitindo um ou mais fótons, enquanto que em PET (Positron Emission Tomography), o radionuclídeo emite um pósitron para alcançar um nível energético mais baixo. Apesar de as formas de energia emitida serem diferentes, as imagens são reconstruídas a partir das informações adquiridas pela detecção externa dos fótons emitidos (em SPECT) e do par de fótons de aniquilação (PET) em coincidência. Devido à especificidade e às características dessas imagens, suas informações podem ser quantificadas, de modo que os parâmetros funcionais ou metabólicos possam ser obtidos para fins de diagnóstico ou terapia. Entretanto, para se conseguir resultados confiáveis, fatores relacionados à instrumentação e às condições do paciente, assim como as interações entre as radiações e tecidos e os métodos de reconstrução, devem ser considerados cuidadosamente. Nesta palestra, após uma introdução aos fundamentos da formação de imagem de medicina nuclear, serão apresentadas as bases da aquisição e da reconstrução tomográfica. Alguns métodos de correção serão introduzidos para exemplificar as quantificações correntemente adotadas na rotina clínica do imageamento molecular.

Emission tomography is a medical image modality that utilizes molecules labelled with radionuclides, the radiopharmaceuticals, to obtain functional information about specific tissues or systems. In SPECT, Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography, the radionuclide decays by emitting one or more photons, while in PET, Positron Emission Tomography, the radionuclide emits a positron, in order to reach a lower energy level. Although the forms of energy emitted are different, the images are reconstructed from the information acquired by external detection of the emitted photons (SPECT) and the pair of annihilation photons (PET) in coincidence. Due to the specificity and characteristics of these images, their information can be quantified, so that functional or metabolic parameters can be obtained for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. However, in order to achieve reliable results, factors related to the instrumentation and patient conditions, as well as to the interactions between radiations and tissues and the reconstruction methods have to be considered carefully. In this lecture, after the introduction of the fundamentals of nuclear medicine imaging, the basis of emission tomography acquisition and reconstruction will be presented. Some correction methods will be introduced in order to exemplify the current quantifications adopted in the clinical routine of molecular imaging.