single photon emission computed tomography

single photon emission computed tomography

noun

Definition of SINGLE PHOTON EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

: a medical imaging technique that is used especially for mapping brain function and that is similar to positron-emission tomography in using the photons emitted by the agency of a radioactive tracer to create an image but that differs in being able to detect only a single photon for each nuclear disintegration and in generating a lower-quality image—abbreviation SPECT