Introduction: SPECT is a diagnostic imaging technique the main disadvantage of which is the existence of Poisson noise. So far, different methods have been used by scientists to improve SPECT images. The Wavelet Transform is a new method for de-noising which is widely used for noise reduction and quality enhancement of images. The purpose of this paper is evaluation of noise reduction in SPECT ...

Objective(s): Nuclear medicine technologists in Japan often perform additional single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with or without computed tomography (CT) after whole-body imaging for bone scintigraphy. In this study, we wanted to identify the bone scanning protocols used in Japan, together with the current clinical practices. Methods:...

introduction: in single photon emission computed tomography (spect), the projection data used for image reconstruction are distorted by several factors, including attenuation and scattering of gamma rays, collimator structure, data acquisition method, organ motion, and washout of radiopharmaceuticals. all these make reconstruction of a quantitative spect image very difficult. simulation of a sp...

Introduction: Scintigraphy has been considered as a useful tool in the assessment of meniscal tears. Our objective was to assess the accuracy of single photon emission tomography (SPECT), using MRI as the gold standard, in the diagnosis of meniscal tears. Materials and Methods: Between January 2003 and February 2005, 45 patients were studied with SPECT and MRI. Results: The respective sen...

Hilton, Jose Colmenares surveys a group of 13 women and 3 men and wonders which — if any — have the “right stuff” to become flight attendants with Southwest Airlines. Colmenares is not looking for a fixed set of skills or experiences. He’s searching for something far more elusive and much more important — the perfect blend of energy, humor, team spirit, and selfconfidence to match Southwest’s f...

[1] In this case, an artist and the organization that hired him to produce a sculpture contest the ownership of the copyright in that work. To resolve this dispute, we must construe the "work made for hire" provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976 (Act or 1976 Act), 17 U.S.C. §§ 101 and 201(b), and in particular, the provision in § 101, which defines as a "work made for hire" a "work prepared by...

Does import competition alter the extent to which employers, after negotiating workers’ wages upon hire, subsequently shield those wages from external labor-market conditions? If increased competition induces a switch away from these wage implicit agreements, then (1) the sensitivity of workers’ wages to the current unemployment rate should increase as competition increases and (2) the sensitiv...

OBJECTIVE Cartilage invasion in laryngohypopharyngeal cancer has a significant impact on the choice of treatment modality and outcome of the disease. We examined invasion of cartilage in laryngohypopharyngeal cancer by simultaneous bone and tumor dual-isotope SPECT using 99mTc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate and 201Tl-chloride. METHODS Early and delayed simultaneous bone and tumor dual-isotope...

UNLABELLED The recently introduced SPECT/CT integrates the physiologic data of SPECT with the anatomic data of CT into a single image. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the additional value of SPECT/CT in breast cancer patients and melanoma patients with inconclusive planar image findings. METHODS Thirty-one patients had planar lymphoscintigrams showing unexpected lymphatic drain...

In traditional pulmonary perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), respiratory lung motion and cyclically varying changes in lung volume during image acquisition inherently degrade the image sharpness of ill-defined perfusion defects. However, because of the lack of an adequate fast imaging technique, perfusion SPECT has never been acquired under breathhold conditions, where...