Application of nuclear physics in medicine – positron emission tomography

In this study, it is aimed to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of the positron emission tomography (PET) system, which is one of the medical imaging methods used in nuclear medicine. The design, detector types, and crystal types of the PET system were examined. In addition, the effect of radiopharmaceuticals on the image obtained from the PET system and the effect of annihilation photons on the image acquisition of the PET system was investigated. The properties that affect the performance of the PET system positively or negatively were investigated with the obtained information. The main differences between PET and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) systems, which obtain images using radiopharmaceuticals, have been investigated and the reason why the PET system is used especially for the detection of cancer cells has been investigated. The effect of the hybrid system image obtained by combining the anatomical image obtained with the CT system and the functional image obtained with the PET system in the positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) hybrid system on diagnosis was examined. Scan images and reports obtained in hospitals in Turkey were examined, and the side effects of radiopharmaceuticals used during scanning were investigated. The number of PET scanners in the countries, the number of scans, and the place of Turkey in the world depending on these statistics have been observed.