Validation of QGS and 4D-MSPECT for quantification of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction from gated 18F-FDG PET: comparison with cardiac MRI.
The aim of this study was to validate Quantitative Gated SPECT (QGS) and 4D-MSPECT for assessing left ventricular end-diastolic and systolic volumes (EDV and ESV, respectively) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) from gated (18)F-FDG PET.


METHODS
Forty-four patients with severe coronary artery disease were examined with gated (18)F-FDG PET (8 gates per cardiac cycle). EDV, ESV, and LVEF were calculated from gated (18)F-FDG PET using QGS and 4D-MSPECT. Within 2 d (median), cardiovascular cine MRI (cMRI) (20 gates per cardiac cycle) was done as a reference.


RESULTS
QGS failed to accurately detect myocardial borders in 1 patient; 4D-MSPECT, in 2 patients. For the remaining 42 patients, correlation between the results of gated (18)F-FDG PET and cMRI was high for EDV (R = 0.94 for QGS and 0.94 for 4D-MSPECT), ESV (R = 0.95 for QGS and 0.95 for 4D-MSPECT), and LVEF (R = 0.94 for QGS and 0.90 for 4D-MSPECT). QGS significantly (P < 0.0001) underestimated LVEF, whereas no other parameter differed significantly between gated (18)F-FDG PET and cMRI for either algorithm.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite small systematic differences that, among other aspects, limit interchangeability, agreement between gated (18)F-FDG PET and cMRI is good across a wide range of clinically relevant volumes and LVEF values assessed by QGS and 4D-MSPECT.
Schaefer
Wolfgang M
WM
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, University of Aachen, Aachen, Germany. wschaefe@nuk-gate.nukmed.rwth-aachen.de
Lipke
Claudia S A
CS
Nowak
Bernd
B
Kaiser
Hans-Juergen
HJ
Reinartz
Patrick
P
Buecker
Arno
A
Krombach
Gabriele A
GA
Buell
Udalrich
U
Kühl
Harald P
HP
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D015637:Gated Blood-Pool Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013318:Stroke Volume; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18