title: New acquisition protocol of 18F-choline PET/CT in prostate cancer patients: review of the literature about methodology and proposal of standardization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) To evaluate a new acquisition protocol of (18)F-choline (FCH) PET/CT for prostate cancer patients (PC), (2) to review acquisition (18)F-choline PET/CT methodology, and (3) to propose a standardized acquisition protocol on FCH PET/CT in PC patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  100 consecutive PC patients (mean age 70.5 years, mean PSA 21.35 ng/mL) were prospectively evaluated. New protocol consisted of an early scan of the pelvis immediately after the injection of the tracer (1 bed position of 4 min) followed by a whole body scan at one 1 hour. Early and 1 hour images were compared for interfering activity and pathologic findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall detection rate of FCH PET/CT was 64%. The early static images of the pelvis showed absence of radioactive urine in ureters, bladder, or urethra which allowed a clean evaluation of the prostatic fossae. Uptake in the prostatic region was better visualized in the early phase in 26% (7/30) of cases. Other pelvic pathologic findings (bone and lymph nodes) were visualized in both early and late images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early (18)F-choline images improve visualization of abnormal uptake in prostate fossae. All pathologic pelvic deposits (prostate, lymph nodes, and bone) were visualized in both early and late images.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT Centre, "Santa Maria della Misericordia" Hospital, Via Tre Martiri 140, 45100 Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Sotirios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chondrogiannis
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT Centre, "Santa Maria della Misericordia" Hospital, Via Tre Martiri 140, 45100 Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Marzola
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT Centre, "Santa Maria della Misericordia" Hospital, Via Tre Martiri 140, 45100 Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Gaia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grassetto
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT Centre, "Santa Maria della Misericordia" Hospital, Via Tre Martiri 140, 45100 Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Margherita
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Maffione
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT Centre, "Santa Maria della Misericordia" Hospital, Via Tre Martiri 140, 45100 Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rampin
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT Centre, "Santa Maria della Misericordia" Hospital, Via Tre Martiri 140, 45100 Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Veronese
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT Centre, "Santa Maria della Misericordia" Hospital, Via Tre Martiri 140, 45100 Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Massaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT Centre, "Santa Maria della Misericordia" Hospital, Via Tre Martiri 140, 45100 Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rubello
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002794:Choline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D012008:Recurrence; D012015:Reference Standards; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: C516370:fluoromethylcholine; D002794:Choline