RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Skeletal PET with 18F-Fluoride: Applying New Technology to an Old Tracer JF Journal of Nuclear Medicine JO J Nucl Med FD Society of Nuclear Medicine SP 68 OP 78 DO 10.2967/jnumed.106.037200 VO 49 IS 1 A1 Frederick D. Grant A1 Frederic H. Fahey A1 Alan B. Packard A1 Royal T. Davis A1 Abass Alavi A1 S. Ted Treves YR 2008 UL http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/49/1/68.abstract AB Although 18F-labeled NaF was the first widely used agent for skeletal scintigraphy, it quickly fell into disuse after the introduction of 99mTc-labeled bone-imaging agents. Recent comparative studies have demonstrated that 18F-fluoride PET is more accurate than 99mTc-diphosphonate SPECT for identifying both malignant and benign lesions of the skeleton. Combining 18F-fluoride PET with other imaging, such as CT, can improve the specificity and overall accuracy of skeletal 18F-fluoride PET and probably will become the routine clinical practice for 18F-fluoride PET. Although 18F-labeled NaF and 99mTc-diphosphonate have a similar patient dosimetry, 18F-fluoride PET offers shorter study times (typically less than 1 h), resulting in a more efficient workflow, improved patient convenience, and faster turnarounds of reports to the referring physicians. With the widespread availability of PET scanners and the improved logistics for the delivery of 18F radiopharmaceuticals, prior limitations to the routine use of 18F-fluoride bone imaging have largely been overcome. The favorable imaging performance and the clinical utility of 18F-fluoride PET, compared with 99mTc-diphosphonate scintigraphy, support the reconsideration of 18F-fluoride as a routine bone-imaging agent.