Alternative positron emission tomography with non-conventional positron emitters: effects of their physical properties on image quality and potential clinical applications.

The increasing amount of clinically relevant information obtained by positron emission tomography (PET), primarily with fluorine-18 labelled 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose, has generated a demand for new routes for the widespread and cost-efficient use of positron-emitting radiopharmaceuticals. New dual-head single-photon emission tomography (SPET) cameras are being developed which offer coincidence detection with camera heads lacking a collimator or SPET imaging with specially designed collimators and additional photon shielding. Thus, not only satellite PET imaging units but also nuclear medicine units investing in these new SPET/PET systems need to examine all available alternatives for rational radionuclide supplies from host cyclotrons. This article examines 25 "alternative" positron-emitting radionuclides, discusses the impact of their decay properties on image quality and reviews methods for their production as well as for their application in imaging techniques.