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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2023; 27(06): 601-617
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1775744
Review Article

A Practical Guide to Sigma-1 Receptor Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A New Clinical Molecular Imaging Method to Identify Peripheral Pain Generators in Patients with Chronic Pain

Bin Shen
1   Cyclotron Radiochemistry Facility, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
,
Daehyun Yoon
2   Department of Radiology, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California
,
Jessa Castillo
3   Radiochemistry Facility, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California
,
Sandip Biswal
4   Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
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Abstract

Accurately identifying the peripheral pain generator in patients with chronic pain remains a major challenge for modern medicine. Millions of patients around the world suffer endlessly from difficult-to-manage debilitating pain because of very limited diagnostic tests and a paucity of pain therapies. To help these patients, we have developed a novel clinical molecular imaging approach, and, in its early stages, it has been shown to accurately identify the exact site of pain generation using an imaging biomarker for the sigma-1 receptor and positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging. We hope the description of the work in this article can help others begin their own pain imaging programs at their respective institutions.

Keywords

pain diagnosis - sigma-1 receptor - nociception - positron emission tomography - radiotracer


Publication History

Article published online:
07 November 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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