Introduction: Malignant gliomas and metastatic tumors are the most common types of brain tumors. Diagnosis of these diseases is very important in the early stages before anatomic changes. And with MRI, CT, and PET / CT being used to examine the brain, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of these methods for the diagnosis of brain glioma.
Methods: This study is a review performed by searching for MRI, CT and PET / CT keywords in different sources. Of the 10 papers, 6 were selected and thoroughly reviewed.
Results: : CT or MRI imaging systems use only size criteria for diagnosis; they have poor ability to differentiate between malignant and benign lesions. The PET system is important for accurately identifying the origin of brain malformations and guiding the surgeon. It provides metabolic and functional information while the patient's radiation level is equivalent to conventional CT. PET lacks anatomical information and has less spatial resolution than CT or MRI. PET / CT with choline detectors allows simultaneous visualization of the anatomic and metabolic structure of tumors, especially gliomas and brain metastases. As such, CT records the anatomical features of the lesion (exact location, size, and shape) and metabolic changes by PET. Blurred image due to body movements (brain, heart and respiratory movements) is a PET / CT injury.
Conclusion: CT and MRI are not different in malignant and benign tumors. The PET system has less spatial resolution than CT or MRI. The PET / CT system can confirm suspicious MRI lesions and is an accurate method for the diagnosis of brain gliomas and metastatic tumors.
Keywords: Brain tumors, CT, Malignant gliomas, MRI, PET / CT.