Nuclear medicine and molecular imaging of the pediatric chest: current practical imaging assessment.

In the chest, the indications for nuclear medicine studies are broader and more varied in children than in adults. In children, nuclear medicine studies are used to evaluate congenital and developmental disorders of the chest, as well as diseases more typical of adults. In the chest, pediatric nuclear medicine uses the same radiopharmaceuticals and imaging techniques as used in adults to evaluate cardiac and pulmonary disease, aerodigestive disorders, and pediatric malignancies. The introduction of PET (mostly using (18)F-FDG) has transformed pediatric nuclear oncology, particular for imaging malignancies in the chest.