In the past few years, PET/CT imaging has become an indispensable modality in the evaluation of a variety of pathological processes in the adult population. In particular, PET/CT has played a vital role in the management of patients with a substantial members of malignancies.1,2 PET imaging is also increasingly playing a major role in the detection of many neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer disease and seizure disorders. 3-5 FDG PET findings have become the gold standard in the determination of myocardial viability.6 Mismatch between decreased blood flow and increased glucose metabolism demonstrated by FDG, an indicator of myocardial viability, can predict postrevascularization improvement in heart function and long-term survival.7 Furthermore, PET/CT is emerging as a very valuable modality in the management of many infectious and inflammatory processes.8

Compared to the adult population, the literature regarding PET/CT in the management of pediatric patients is just emerging. The role and the importance of PET/CT and PET are becoming clear in the field of pediatrics as more experience is gained in regards to this population. Since pediatric patients are distinct biologically from the adults, many issues that are specific to this population need to be taken into consideration. First, the protocols for PET/CT imaging in pediatric patients differ from adults. Sedation and anesthesia are frequently necessary to achieve optimal diagnostic images. Also, a reduction in radiation dose, an issue which is of concern in the adult population,9 is ever more critical in pediatric patients. In addition, the tracer biodistribution in pediatric patients is not the same as in adults. For example,

thymic uptake is more common and brown adipose tissue activity is more widespread in the pediatric population. More importantly, the types of disease present in the pediatric population differ substantially from those in adults. Nuclear medicine procedures, including PET and PET/CT, are relatively underutilized in the field of pediatrics. In this issue of Positron Emission Tomography Clinics, the current applications of PET and PET/CT in the pediatric population are reviewed.

Although most reviews have focused on the applications of PET and PET/CT in the evaluation of pediatric malignancies such as sarcomas and lymphomas, other potential applications of FDG PET in the pediatric population, such as detection of the source of fever of unknown origin, are also discussed. Finally, the high sensitivity and accuracy of F-DOPA PET/CT imaging in the identifying and localizing focal lesion in child suffering congenital hyperinsulinism are discussed. It is our belief that the list of applications of PET and PET/CT for probating diseases and disorders will surely increase in the coming years.