title: Multicenter evaluation of renography with an automated physical phantom.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The diversity of the dynamic radionuclide renal imaging (renography) study protocols sets challenges for the overall study quality, therefore raising a need for national quality control. The aim of this study was to encourage the standardization of renography in Finland and to evaluate the development after a previous study performed in 1997.
  
  
  METHODS
  The new Heikkinen phantom was imaged in each of the 20 participating nuclear medicine laboratories. The results were interpreted in the manner of a regular patient study, and reconstructions and printouts were made according to the clinical routines of each laboratory. Four quantitative parameters were calculated and compared between laboratories. The reports were also assessed in a blind test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average error in T(max) values ranged from -5 to 7% (-29 to +18% in 1997), in T(1/2) from 0 to 35% (-43 to +66%), in RCA20 from -20 to +28% (-50 to +82%) and in relative uptake from -3 to 5%. The difference from average in relative uptake ranged from -4 to 5% (-21 to +36%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results showed that the errors in T(max) and relative uptake were generally within quite acceptable margins, and the variation in quantitative parameters between laboratories was shown to be smaller than 14 years earlier. The reason might be the use of new software packages as well as increased efforts to improve the quality of the studies.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Medical Physics, Etelä-Savo Hospital District, Mikkeli Central Hospital, Mikkeli bDepartment of Clinical Physiology, North Karelia Central Hospital, Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: Anssi O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Nykänen
authors.forename: Pentti J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Rautio
authors.forename: Jussi V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Aarnio
authors.forename: Jari O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Heikkinen
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards; D007668:Kidney / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008485:Medical Audit; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011866:Radioisotope Renography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity