SPECT: Meaning in a Radiology Report

SPECT

Also written as: single-photon emission computed tomography, SPECT/CT, SPECT-CT

SPECT is a nuclear medicine technique that turns gamma camera pictures into 3D slices, so tracer uptake can be located in depth.

Seen on: PET and nuclear medicine

How it reads in a report

SPECT/CT localizes the focus of increased uptake to the right L4-L5 facet joint, in keeping with degenerative change.

What it means

SPECT stands for single-photon emission computed tomography. After a radioactive tracer is given, a gamma camera slowly turns around you and records from many angles. A computer builds these into slices, much like CT slices, so a spot of uptake can be placed in depth rather than on one flat picture. It uses the same kinds of tracers as standard nuclear medicine scans and is different from PET.

When it matters

SPECT is a way of taking the pictures, not a finding. It is used in heart perfusion scans, bone scans, parathyroid scans and DaTscans, among others. SPECT/CT adds a low-dose CT in the same session. This shows exactly which structure a spot sits in, such as a joint, a fracture or a tumor. It often makes the report more specific, for example by showing that a spot is arthritis rather than something that needs follow-up.

Questions to ask your doctor

Was a CT done with the SPECT, and what did it add?
Which tracer was used, and what was it looking for?
Does any spot on the scan need another test to explain it?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.