Abstract: PET/CT is one of the most advanced technologies contemporarily, achieving the combination of anatomical imaging and functional imaging. ¹⁸F-FDG is the most important positron radiopharmaceutical, which was used over 95% in total PET/CT imaging. FDG-PET has been extensively used in diagnosis of several kinds of diseases such as tumor, cardiac disease and epilepsy. The present review provides the history, the quality control, the imaging mechanisms as well as the research progress of the clinical applications of ¹⁸F-FDG.