SPECT-Ultrasound Fusion

Hybrid SPECT Augmented Ultrasound Imaging

declipse®SPECT Imaging Probe and Ultrasound Fusion offers a unique hybrid imaging solution for direct correlation between the SPECT image and ultrasound. This is advantageous in thyroid diagnosis, parathyroid, and preoperative detection and localization of sentinel lymph nodes.

 

 

Applications of SPECT-Ultrasound Fusion

Thyroid Imaging

Suspicious thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer surgeries are very common. Thyroid cancer is not.
We want to provide the best tools for a differential thyroid cancer diagnosis to reduce the number of unnecessary thyroid surgeries.

Better differential diagnosis

The accurate registration of ultrasound and SPECT images allows a better differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules. Ultrasound characteristics like shape, echo, Doppler and elastography can easily be combined with FNAC samples and metabolic information for each nodule individually. The SPECT-Ultrasound fusion can also be used for MIBI imaging.

Dorsal Nodules

Resolve cold thyroid nodules unseen by planar scintigraphy. Cold nodules that located behind healthy thyroid tissue or hot structures cannot be resolved in planar imaging. The depth information provided by the SPECT-Ultrasound fusion system allows resolving deep structures, hidden to conventional imaging.

Multinodular goiter

The high-resolution and depth information of the SPECT-Ultrasound fusion system provides a precise display of the radioactive distribution in the ultrasound plane. This exact matching of nodules in ultrasound and SPECT image data can help you make better decisions by seeing hot and cold areas on your live ultrasound image.

 

FNAC / HIFU

Potential Guidance for FNAC and/or MW/HIFU ablation: The SPECT-Ultrasound fusion can help you avoid non-target structures when performing FNAC and/or MW/HIFU ablation and guide you to suspicious nodules.

Parathyroid Imaging

The SPECT-Ultrasound fusion system can be used for preoperative imaging as well as intraoperative navigation of hyperfunctional parathyroid glands. In addition to the conventional pre-operative ultrasound examination the fusion of ultrasound and SPECT images can contribute to the differential diagnosis for cases where ultrasound and scintigraphy alone are not conclusive.
Furthermore the SPECT-Ultrasound fusion can provide a precise localization in the context of anatomy during surgery. This is particular useful in secondary surgeries and in case of ectopic glands.

  • PD Dr. Martin Freesmeyer
    PD Dr. Martin FreesmeyerHead of Department of the Nuclear Medicine University Hospital Jena, Germany
    Hybrid imaging has opened new frontiers for Nuclear Medicine diagnostics and is displacing completely stand-alone PET and SPECT imaging. The introduction of declipse®SPECT Imaging Probe as the first flexible hybrid imaging system is a further break through by making it possible to bring hybrid imaging to every single Nuclear Medicine practice.

Literature about declipse®SPECT Ultrasound Fusion

  • FNAC on head & neck sentinel lymph node: Bree et al. 2015. “Fusion of Freehand SPECT and Ultrasound to Perform Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology of Sentinel Nodes in Head and Neck Cancer.” American Journal of Neuroradiology, August. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A4426.
  • Breast sentinel lymph node: Bluemel et al. 2016. “Fusion of Freehand SPECT and Ultrasound: First Experience in Preoperative Localization of Sentinel Lymph Nodes.” European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 43 (13): 2304–12. doi:10.1007/s00259-016-3443-0.
  • Thyroid: Freesmeyer et al. 2014. “Hybrid Integration of Real-Time US and Freehand SPECT: Proof of Concept in Patients with Thyroid Diseases.” Radiology 271 (3): 856–61. doi:10.1148/radiol.14132415.
  • Parathyroid: Bluemel et al. 2015. “Localization of Parathyroid Adenoma With Real-Time Ultrasound: Freehand SPECT Fusion.” Clinical Nuclear Medicine, August, 1. doi:10.1097/RLU.0000000000000960.