A phantom assessment of cold stomach-related artifacts in myocardial perfusion imaging.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of a 'cold stomach', caused by either air or water, on Tl-201 and Tc-99m myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (MPS).


METHODS
A stomach insert was created in a thorax phantom. MPS was performed with Tl-201 or Tc-99m. MPS was recorded with an empty stomach, a stomach filled with 0.5 or 1 l of water, or with 0.5 or 1 l of air. For Tc-99m, transmission scans for attenuation correction (AC) were also obtained.


RESULTS
In Tl-201 MPS, filling the stomach with air caused an increase of activity in the infero-lateral wall, whereas filling the stomach with 1 l of water resulted in a slight decrease of activity in the infero-lateral wall. In Tc-99m MPS, filling the stomach with air also resulted in a higher activity in the infero-lateral wall, which normalized when AC was applied. Filling the stomach with water caused no marked differences in Tc-99m MPS with or without AC.


CONCLUSIONS
A stomach filled with large amounts of water causes (mild) infero-lateral wall defects in Tl-201 MPS; a stomach filled with air causes a strong scintigraphic overexpression of the infero-lateral wall in both Tl-201 and Tc-99m MPS which can be compensated with AC.
Verburg
Frederik A
FA
University Hospital Würzburg, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Josef Schneiderstrasse 2, Würzburg 97080, Germany. verburg_e@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
Romijn
Rutger L
RL
Nekolla
Stephan
S
Verzijlbergen
Johan F
JF
D016477:Artifacts; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005740:Gases; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D013270:Stomach; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D014867:Water
D005740:Gases; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D014867:Water