title: Development and evaluation of a new fully automatic motion detection and correction technique in cardiac SPECT imaging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In cardiac SPECT perfusion imaging, motion correction of the data is critical to the minimization of motion introduced artifacts in the reconstructed images. Software-based (data-driven) motion correction techniques are the most convenient and economical approaches to fulfill this purpose. However, the accuracy is significantly affected by how the data complexities, such as activity overlap, non-uniform tissue attenuation, and noise are handled.
  
  
  METHODS
  We developed STASYS, a new, fully automatic technique, for motion detection and correction in cardiac SPECT. We evaluated the performance of STASYS by comparing its effectiveness of motion correcting patient studies with the current industry standard software (Cedars-Sinai MoCo) through blind readings by two readers independently.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For 204 patient studies from multiple clinical sites, the first reader identified (1) 69 studies with medium to large axial motion, of which STASYS perfectly or significantly corrected 86.9% and MoCo 72.5%; and (2) 20 studies with medium to large lateral motion, of which STASYS perfectly or significantly corrected 80.0% and MoCo 60.0%. The second reader identified (1) 84 studies with medium to large axial motion, of which STASYS perfectly or significantly corrected 82.2% and MoCo 76.2%; and (2) 34 studies with medium to large lateral motion, of which STASYS perfectly or significantly corrected 58.9% and MoCo 50.0%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We developed a fully automatic software-based motion correction technique, STASYS, for cardiac SPECT. Clinical studies showed that STASYS was effective and corrected a larger percent of cardiac SPECT studies than the current industrial standard software.
authors.affiliation: Digirad Corporation, 13950 Stowe Drive, Poway, CA 92064, USA. chbai@digirad.com
authors.forename: Chuanyong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Jamshid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maddahi
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kindem
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Conwell
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gurley
authors.forename: Rex
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Old
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D001331:Automation; D002309:Cardiology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D055420:Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012984:Software; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*