Update on PET radiopharmaceuticals: life beyond fluorodeoxyglucose

Radiol Clin North Am. 2004 Nov;42(6):1033-53, viii. doi: 10.1016/j.rcl.2004.08.009.

Abstract

Twenty-eight years after its inception, 2-[18F]FDG- is still the most widely used radiopharmaceutical for PET studies, but numerous more specific radiotracers have been developed and applied in neuroscience and oncology. The advances in radiotracer chemistry, especially the nucleophilic substitution reaction, have played the pivotal role in synthesizing various no-carrier-added 18F-labeled radiotracers for PET studies of various receptor systems. This article lists some of the radiotracers that are available for PET studies in neuroscience and oncology. The prospects for developing other new radiotracers for imaging other organ diseases also seem to be promising.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Carbon Radioisotopes
  • Fluorine Radioisotopes
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Positron-Emission Tomography* / methods
  • Radiopharmaceuticals*

Substances

  • Carbon Radioisotopes
  • Fluorine Radioisotopes
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18