Nuclear Imaging for therapy monitoring and response assessment in infectious diseases

Infectious diseases remain a significant global health challenge, demanding rapid and accurate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Traditional methods for assessing treatment response often rely on clinical signs, culture-based assays, and conventional imaging, which can be slow, lack sensitivity, or fail to differentiate between active infection and sterile inflammation. Nuclear imaging techniques, including single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET), offer unique advantages for visualizing and quantifying the spatial distribution of infection, monitoring treatment efficacy, and predicting clinical outcomes. This review summarizes the current state of nuclear imaging for therapy monitoring and response assessment in various infectious diseases, highlighting the potential of novel radiopharmaceuticals and imaging protocols to improve patient management.