SPECT and PET

Abstract

Both single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) are tomographic imaging procedures using tracers to facilitate the evaluation of disease processes. Numerous PET and SPECT studies have been performed in disorders or conditions involving the cerebellum, focussing on changes of regional glucose metabolism, cerebral blood fl ow or receptor binding. While these methods allow studying specifi c functional and metabolic changes in detail, their spatial resolution is lower than that of MRI; anatomical localisation of the observed cerebellar changes using these methods often lacks precision. Their value for differential diagnosis of cerebellar disorders mainly depends on characterizing disease-specifi c patterns of involved extracerebellar brain structures. However, next to the investigation of disease-related functional changes, SPECT and in particular PET studies support detecting target structures for potential therapeutic interventions and visualising therapeutic effects.