Developments in Dedicated Prostate PET Instrumentation

Abstract

[EN] Some specific MI designs assessing early detection and staging of PCa have been proposed. It can be differentiated between systems (dedicated-, WB-and TB-PET), and inserts or probes that are placed much closer to the prostate with the aim to boost spatial resolution (magnification effect) and eventually sensitivity in the area under observation. Fully prostate-dedicated systems have not yet reached an optimum of performance to be transferred to the clinics or industry, most likely due to the lack of precise detectors able to include DOI and TOF capabilities simultaneously at an affordable cost. Moreover, several attempts have been carried out in a variety of probe technologies such as PET alone, US combined, with TOF capabilities and even MRI compatible, reporting promising results.It seems very likely that using images provided by prostate dedicated-PET scanners for biopsy guidance would help in diagnosis. As reviewed in the present article, this may be accomplished with dedicated prostate PET using for instance TransRectal PET imaging probes resulting in a high sensitivity.As an alternative to dedicated PET and the combination PET probe, currently available PET scanners could be technologically upgraded by designing more precise detectors or/and by including AI techniques. To accomplish these goals, advancements in the detection technology are required. There have been several encouraging attempts during the last years on these lines, and it seems feasible that enhanced PET and TB PET technology may become a reality soon, and thus, their use could be extended for PCa.