Bedside tomographic scintigraphy: a diagnostic tool in intensive care and the emergency room

Scintigraphic tomography (SPECT) with a gamma camera is an established tool for the diagnosis of disturbances in perfusion of the myocardium. The technique has been shown to be useful in the management of patients with acute myocardial infarction. However, SPECT is not widely used for seriously ill patients due to the need to transport the patient to the gamma camera system. er to make tomography available by the bedside, a form of limited view angle tomography, Ectomography, has been implemented on a mobile gamma camera system. Projection data are acquired by rotating a slant hole collimator in front of the stationary detector and therefore, the head gantry is simple and easily transported. The mobile system is completely self-contained providing acquisition, reconstruction and bedside display. System sensitivity can be increased by using a segmented collimator, making it possible to present reconstructed sections for diagnosis less than 10 min after the start of acquisition. At present, reconstruction is performed with 2D filtered back projection. arative study of patients with suspected coronary artery disease has shown that Ectomography and SPECT yield similar diagnostic information. In an experimental study, in which a coronary artery was occluded, it has been possible to use Ectomography to define myocardial area at risk and final infarct size. Myocardial imaging has been performed in the intensive care unit and a pilot study has demonstrated that brain scans can also be performed. Bedside tomographic scintigraphy has been shown to be feasible and studies can be performed without moving the patient. The method should provide, therefore, an alternative to SPECT in intensive care and the emergency room.