|
Modality | Capabilities | Application | Contrast Agents/ Radionuclide Tracers |
Anatomical | Molecular/ Functional | Benefits | Limitations |
|
Ultrasound | X | | Rapid, accurate, low cost, reproducibility, widely available | Limited resolution, image interpretation difficult, artifacts common | Microbubbles |
|
CT | X | | Rapid, high resolution, useful for early clinical followup | Ionizing radiation, requires contrast agent | Iodine or Barium |
|
MRI | X | | Soft tissue contrast, high resolution | High cost, large equipment required | Gadolinium chelates |
| X | Customizable molecular targeting, cell tracking | Limited sensitivity, requires contrast agent | USPIOs or gadolinium chelates |
|
NIRF | | X | Low cost, widely available | Photobleaching, low quantum yield, shallow tissue penetration | MMPSense, scVEGF/Cy, RGD-HFn-Cy5.5 |
|
Bioluminescence | | X | High sensitivity, high specificity | Shallow tissue penetration, requires transgenic modification | Exotic transgenic cells combined with luciferin |
|
SPECT | | X | 3D imaging, widely available, highly sensitive, simultaneous imaging of multiple processes | Limited temporal resolution, few radionuclide tracers |
99TC, 111In, 201Tl, 123I, 131I |
|
PET | | X | Quantification of metabolism and blood flow, high sensitivity, many radionuclide tracers available | High cost, limited availability, large equipment required, short tracer half-life, single process evaluation |
18F, 11C, 13N, 15O, 82RB |
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