Fused Imaging Systems Produce "Image of the Year”

The image was named the "Image of the Year” by the Society of Nuclear Medicine.

To create the image, initial SPECT data were collected on a gamma camera (Siemens e.cam). A spiral CT (Siemens Somaton 4+B) was used for the bony structure, and an MR scanner (Siemens Magnetom Vision) was used to image the surface of the prostate. Following the use of iterative reconstruction technology (IRT), the research team viewed the image by Interactive Data Language (IDL) on a workstation (Siemens Icon) to improve the quality of the final image.

CT and MRI are only marginally successful in identifying the presence and spread of prostate cancer. SPECT can help identify cancerous tissue but be unable to pinpoint its location in the prostate. Combining the three modalities provides more information than any of the other technologies alone.

The unique image was made possible by new 3-D visualization software developed by the University Hospitals of Cleveland/Case Western Reserve University (OH, USA) and used in conjunction with imaging products of Siemens Medical Engineering (Erlangen, Germany).