Abstract

This chapter summarizes some metal complexes that have been used in recent years to diagnose disease states. Gamma scintigraphy, positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are discussed as diagnostic imaging modalities. With the three imaging modalities, metal complexes are used to image a variety of diseases, including heart disease, brain tumors, and cancer. It has been shown that many different radiometals can be used in the synthesis of coordination compounds for gamma scintigraphy and PET, and each of these will be discussed separately. Besides that, metal complex chemistry encompasses an extensive area of study that analyzes radiometals. The development of coordination compounds for MRI enhancement and radiopharmaceuticals, particularly those that have been used in vivo in the case of humans, are described. Essentially, this chapter aims to show that coordination chemistry has made significant progress toward the development of diagnostic imaging agents as a whole.