NaF-18 PET/CT Bone Scans
NaF-18 or F-sodium fluoride bone scans use a positron-emitting radionuclide to provide physiologic information of bone. Sodium fluoride bone scans are highly sensitive for bone metastatic disease of both osteoblastic and osteolytic cancers. With NaF-18, bone metastases are seen at sites of high bone turnover and remodeling, and therefore, is used to detect and follow up bone metastases. Compared to regular bone scans, NaF-18 bone scans provide higher accuracy in differentiating benign from malignant lesions, as given below.
The PET-CT Center Atrium Health Navicent is proud to be a
NOPR (National Oncologic PET Registry) participant
Advantages of NaF 18 PET over Tc-MDP SPECT (regular bone scan)
|
NaF 18 PET Special Bone Scan
|
| Higher spatial resolution of dedicated PET systems provide superior image quality |
| Accurate transmission whole body attenuation correction routinely available on PET systems |
| Small axial field of view of PET scanner limits area of the skeleton studied |
| Rapid clearance and short half-life (110 min), whole body tomography allows total acquisition time of 70-90 minutes. Injection->end of scan - 120-150 minutes |
| Renal clearance. Adequate hydration improves image quality. |
| Higher accuracy in detecting both osteolytic and osteoblastic metastases |
| Higher accuracy in differentiating benign from malignant lesions |
|
|
| Gamma camera SPECT systems have poorer spatial resolution |
| Attenuation correction, if available, developed for cardiac PET, not whole body imaging |
| Larger area of the skeleton included in SPECT field of view |
| Slower clearance and longer half-life (6 hrs), planar whole body and multiple SPECT acquisisions require a total time of 120-180 minutes. Injection->end of scan - 200-270 minutes |
| Renal clearance. Hydration and frequent urination decreases, interfering with bladder and kidney activity |
| Overall high sensitivity for detecting bone metastases, planar techniques demonstrate lower sensitivity in detection of vertebral metastases, multiple SPECT studies must be performed to approach sensitivity of PET |
| Limited specificity in differentiating benign from malignant bone lesions |
|