Impact of patient weight and emission scan duration on PET/CT image quality and lesion detectability.
This study was performed to prospectively evaluate fast PET/CT imaging protocols using lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) detector technology and 3-dimensional (3D) image-acquisition protocols.


METHODS
Fifty-seven consecutive patients (30 male, 27 female; mean age, 58.6 +/- 15.7 y) were enrolled in the study. After intravenous injection of 7.77 MBq (0.21 mCi) of (18)F-FDG per kilogram, a standard whole-body CT study (80-110 s) and PET emission scan were acquired for 4 min/bed position in 49 patients and 3 min/bed position in 8 patients. One-minute-per-bed-position data were then extracted from the 3- or 4-min/bed position scans to reconstruct single-minute/bed position scans for each patient. Patients were subgrouped according to weight as follows: <59 kg (<130 lb; n = 15), 59-81 kg (130-179 lb; n = 33), and >or=82 kg (>or=180 lb; n = 9). Three experienced observers recorded numbers and locations of lesion by consensus and independently rated image quality as good, moderate, poor, or nondiagnostic.


RESULTS
The observers analyzed 220 reconstructed whole-body PET images from 57 patients. They identified 114 lesions ranging in size from 0.7 to 7.0 cm on the 3- (n = 8) and 4-min/bed position images (n = 49). Of these, only 4 were missed on the 1-min/bed position scans, and all lesions were identified on the corresponding 2-min/bed position images. One- and 2-min/bed position image quality differed significantly from the 4-min/bed position image reference (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
LSO PET detector technology permits fast 3D imaging protocols whereby weight-based emission scan durations ranging from 1 to 3 min/bed position provide similar lesion detectability when compared with 4-min/bed position images.
Halpern
Benjamin S
BS
Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Ahmanson Biological Imaging Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095-6942, USA.
Dahlbom
Magnus
M
Quon
Andrew
A
Schiepers
Christian
C
Waldherr
Christian
C
Silverman
Daniel H
DH
Ratib
Osman
O
Czernin
Johannes
J
D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008187:Lutetium; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011187:Posture; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017640:Silicates; D013997:Time Factors; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017640:Silicates; C477682:lutetium orthosilicate; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D008187:Lutetium