Which of the following is a common radiopharmaceutical used in clinical PET scans?

Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is a radiopharmaceutical that is commonly used in clinical PET scans due to its effectiveness in imaging metabolic activity in tissues. FDG is a glucose analog that is taken up by cells in a manner similar to glucose. Because many cancerous tissues exhibit increased glucose metabolism, FDG accumulates in these areas, allowing for the visualization of tumors during positron emission tomography (PET) scans. This characteristic makes FDG particularly useful for cancer diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring treatment response.

The other options, while important in nuclear medicine, serve different purposes. Technegas is primarily used in ventilation studies in lung imaging rather than PET. Thallium-201 is mainly utilized in myocardial perfusion imaging, not in the context of PET scans. Technetium-99m is widely used in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging instead of PET, where its different properties are advantageous.

Overall, the specific application and effectiveness of FDG in detecting metabolic changes related to various medical conditions solidify its role as a staple radiopharmaceutical in PET scanning.