Editorial

This issue again presents advanced imaging techniques to assess clinical problems related to myocardial perfusion, breast cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, intraarterial chemotherapy, diseases in craniocervical junction, and oral and maxillofacial diseases. There are also paper analyzing calcium phosphate urinary stone on abdominal X-ray and special article reporting research and development of nuclear molecular imaging in Taiwan. The pathogenesis and clinical significance of reverse redistribution on myocardial perfusion scan have remained unclear and controversial, and thus perplexed nuclear physicians as well as cardiologists in clinical practice. He and Yang reviewed the spectrum of the reverse redistribution in different entities with various radiotracers. They have focused on clinical significance and strategies as well as underlying mechanism of reverse redistribution in coronary atery diseases. FDG PET/CT has been recognized as a useful technique for staging various cancers. However, its role in staging breast cancer has been subject to discussions, probably related to relatively low metabolic activity of the breast cancer. Aukema et al. reviewed the current literature of methological and clinical value of FDG PET/CT in staging and restaging breast cancer. Sonography has not been generally accepted as an imaging modality for the evaluation of soft tissue sarcomas which are anatomically and histologically diverse tumors. Kneif et al. report three dimensional ultrasonography (3D US) to display tumors in spatially oriented and standardized views. Improved visualization and guidance of interventional procedures using 3D US may increase the acceptance of clinicians to utilize ultrasonography for the evaluation of soft tissue tumors. Intraarterial infusion chemotherapy has the advantage of delivering relatively high dose of chemotherapy drugs into tumor bed with fewer systemic side effects. 3D CT angiography has been used to assess the arterial anatomy, but it is often affected by dental metallic artifacts. Tsutsumi et al. report the utility of 3D intravenous digital subtraction angiography studies in 15 patients that were able to depict the external carotid artery without any significant problem. The preoperative precise evaluation of disease process and its relationship with adjacent tissues in the craniocervical junction is very important for the proper treatment plan. Kiresi and Kadiyoran discuss the role of multidetector CT with pictorial reviews of various pathologies in the craniocervical junction. Various imaging modalities are available for the diagnosis of diseases affecting oral and maxillofacial areas with complex anatomy. Morimoto et al. rescribe the significance and clinical application of each modality in the evaluation of oral and maxillofacial diseases. Calcium phosphate urinary stones do not have specific features on abdominal X-ray, and thus they are often misclassified. Tokgoz et al. analyzed cases of pure calcium phosphate renal or ureteral stones in 60 patients and categorized in 4 groups. Shen et al. report their research and development of nuclear molecular imaging in Taiwan with the radiopharmaceuticals for imaging central nervous system disorders and cancer imaging, targeting specific cancers as well as establishment of imaging platforms for drug discovery and manufacture.