In mid-December, a SPECT / CT device of the latest generation was installed at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg. It replaces an older device so that the clinic now has two modern SPECT / CT devices for hybrid imaging.

Professor Dr. Dr. Philipp Meyer, Medical Director of the Department of Nuclear Medicine, explains: "This optimized combination of SPECT and CT enables very convincing diagnostics with just one examination."

The basis for this is the precise combination of SPECT imaging with CT imaging in three-dimensional sectional images. The SPECT examination shows functions and metabolic processes in various organs, while the CT examination shows the structure of the organs.

This allows a more precise assessment and classification of SPECT findings, especially for orthopedic, oncological and neurological issues as well as heart and lung diagnostics. For example, SPECT / CT is currently also being used to rule out pulmonary embolism in connection with COVID-19. "Above all, the improved SPECT imaging enables precise dose determination and the planning of innovative tumor therapies, for example for prostate cancer," emphasizes Professor Meyer.

Improved image quality for precise diagnostics

With the new SPECT / CT, the latest device technology is now available to patients at the medical center. In the area of SPECT imaging, the system offers an automated, precise and reproducible quantification not only of diagnostic examinations, for example for follow-up purposes, but also of therapeutic radiation such as that used in innovative therapy methods (e.g. Lutetium-177). The SPECT and CT components together provide excellent image quality, and radiation exposure can be reduced by up to 60 percent. Furthermore, in patients with joint or dental implants, image distortions due to the metal components can now be minimized and the diagnostic informative value of the SPECT / CT can be optimized.

• Clinic for Nuclear Medicine