Clinical Research Directory

Comparison of NeuroEXPLORER PET/CT Versus Standard-of-care PET/CT of the Head and Neck Region.

The goal of this clinical study is to compare the current standard-of-care PET/CT scanner with the new NeuroEXPLORER PET/CT, with the aim of demonstrating the added diagnostic value of the new scanner. As this is the first device of its kind in Europe, the study will also evaluate the safety and general feasibility of the NeuroEXPLORER system for head and neck PET studies. Due to to its high resolution, the NeuroEXPLORER enables an accurate investigation of areas up to 20 times smaller than what can be visualized with standard clinical PET scanners, providing images with a very high level of detail. This scanner is specifically designed for imaging the brain, spinal cord, and neck region, to support the diagnosis and monitoring of neurological, psychiatric, and other disorders in the head and neck. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Does the NeuroEXPLORER provide more detailed information with better diagnostic quality compared to standard clinical PET/CT scans for head and neck disorders? * Is the NeuroEXPLORER system safe and effective in performing head and neck studies? Participants will: * receive clear information about the study, including its organization, possible risks, and potential benefits. Based on this, they will be able to give their informed consent by signing an informed consent form before the study begins. * visit the clinic (UZ Leuven) once for two consecutive PET/CT scans: first the prescribed clinical scan, followed by a shorter scan with the NeuroEXPLORER. * before the start of the regular PET/CT scan, have a small catheter placed in a blood vessel in the forearm. Through this, a tracer will be administered. A tracer is a small amount of slightly radioactive material that helps to produce images of processes inside the body. Depending on the tracer used, the PET/CT scan may start immediately or after a short waiting period. * lie on their back on the scanner bed for 10 to 30 minutes during the clinical scan. * after the clinical scan, undergo a 15-20 minute scan on the NeuroEXPLORER. * leave the hospital after completing both scans. * afterwards, be asked whether they experienced any discomfort during the study. In addition, they will receive a one-time follow-up phone call within a week after the scan to check if they experienced any discomfort in the days following the study.

Parathyroid Adenoma Detection With Rubidium-82 Imaging

Assess the uptake of rubidium-82 in parathyroid adenomas.

High-resolution PET-CT Specimen Imaging for the Perioperative Visualization of Resection Margins

These are patients in whom a benign or malignant tumor was recorded requiring surgery. During that surgery, the surgeon will cut away the tumor as part of the treatment of the disease. In this process, it is important that the tumor is removed correctly and completely. To verify that the correct tissue was completely removed, the tissue is examined microscopically. However, a microscopic analysis takes a relatively long time and the result is not known until a few days after the surgery is completed. If that microscopic analysis should eventually reveal that the tumor was not completely removed, additional treatment is usually necessary. An assessment of the excised tissue during surgery would allow additional tissue to be excised in the same operation if necessary. Thus, in this way, additional treatments can also be avoided. This could lead to shorter treatment time and less emotional strain for the patient, as well as lower costs. To date, however, there are no effective techniques to do this. PositronEmissionTomography (PET) imaging can be used to image the tumor that needs to be excised. To do this, a tracer must be administered through the blood before the operation. This tracer is a slightly radioactive substance that can be detected by the PET camera even at low concentrations. This technique is already routinely used in the hospital to detect cancer or inflammatory tissue in the body. During this study, however, it's not the intention to look at the tumor while it is still in the patient's body, but rather after it has been cut out of the patient's body by the surgeon. To do this, the piece of tissue cut away will be scanned using a specially designed PET-CT scanner. The overall goal of this study is to gain additional knowledge. More specifically, the investigators wish to determine which medical conditions may benefit from high-resolution PET-CT specimen imaging.