What are some notable differences between PET and SPECT?

What are some notable differences between PET and SPECT?


See: What are the indications for PET vs. SPECT?

• In contrast with PET however the tracer used in SPECT emits gamma radiation that is measured directly whereas PET tracer emits positrons that annihilate with electrons up to a few millimeters away causing two gamma photons to be emitted in opposite directions.

• A PET scanner detects these emissions "coincident" in time which provides more radiation event localization information and thus higher spatial resolution images than SPECT (which has about 1 cm resolution).

SPECT scans however are significantly less expensive than PET scans in part because they are able to use longer-lived more easily-obtained radioisotopes than PET.


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