Alternative PET with non-conventional positron emitters: effects of their physical properties on image quality and their potential clinical application

The increasing amount of clinically relevant
information obtained by positron emission tomography
(PET), primarily with fluorine-18 labelled 2-deoxy-2-
fluoro-D-glucose, has generated a demand for new routes
for the widespread and cost-efficient use of positron-
emitting radiopharmaceuticals. New dual-head single-
photon emission tomography (SPET) cameras are being
developed which offer coincidence detection with cam-
era heads lacking a collimator or SPET imaging with
specially designed collimators and additional photon
shielding. Thus, not only satellite PET imaging units but
also nuclear medicine units investing in these new
SPET/PET systems need to examine all available alter-
natives for rational radionuclide supplies from host cy-
clotrons. This article examines 25 "alternative" positron-
emitting radionuclides, discusses the impact of their de-
cay properties on image quality and reviews methods for
their production as well as for their application in imag-
ing techniques.