Simulations of virtual PET/CT 3-D bronchoscopy imaging using a physical porcine lung-heart phantom.
OBJECTIVE
We present a systematic approach for studying positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) 3-D virtual fly-through endoscopy and for assessing the accuracy of this technology for visualizing and detecting endobronchial lesions as a function of focal lesion morphology and activity.


METHODS
Capsules designed to simulate endobronchial lesions were filled with activity and introduced into a porcine lung-heart phantom. PET/CT images were acquired, reconstructed, and volume rendered as 3-D fly-through and fly-around visualizations. Anatomical positioning of lesions seen on the 3-D-volume-rendered PET/CT images was compared to the actual position of the capsules.


RESULTS
Lesion size was observed to be highly sensitive to PET threshold parameter settings and careful opacity and color transfer function parameter assignment.


CONCLUSIONS
We have demonstrated a phantom model for studies of PET/CT 3-D virtual fly-through bronchoscopy and have applied this model for understanding the effect of PET thresholding on the visualization and detection of lesions.
Yerushalmi
David
D
Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, The James H. Clark Center, 318 Campus Drive, E150, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Mullick
Rakesh
R
Quon
Andrew
A
Fahrig
Rebecca
R
Pelc
Norbert J
NJ
Fann
James I
JI
Gambhir
Sanjiv S
SS
D000818:Animals; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000737:chemistry; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013552:Swine; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18