Synthetic FDG‐PET hypometabolism sensitivity validation in AD

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThe availability of 18‐F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG‐PET) is not universal. We hypothesized that synthetically generated FDG‐PET images would be as sensitive to detecting the pattern of hypometabolism associated with AD as real images.MethodWe developed a deep learning‐based method to produce synthetic FDG‐PET images from 1,828 T1‐weighted MRI / real FDG‐PET image pairs from the ADNI dataset, and validated the technique on a further 284 image pairs. The technique generated synthetic FDG‐PET images which were then processed to compare Standardized Uptake Value Ratio (SUVR) with the pons as reference in 81 brain regions as defined in the Desikan‐Killiany‐Tourville and subcortical default FreeSurfer atlases.ResultWe tested the differences between synthetic and real FDG‐PET on 745 image pairs (205 controls, 365 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 175 AD)(Table 1). Correlations in SUVR values between synthetic and real FDG‐PET ranged between weak (r = 0.13) to strong (r = 0.63), with moderate results in key regions for AD (bilateral precuneus, r = 0.43; bilateral posterior cingulate, r = 0.37). There were significant between‐group (control vs MCI and control vs AD) differences in SUVR values for all regions between synthetic and real PET‐FDG (Figure 1) with synthetic FDG‐PET having lower values. Inter‐group effect sizes were not significantly different in the majority of brain regions (76/81)(Figure 2), with similar effect sizes in the right precuneus (synthetic: ‐0.98 vs original: ‐1.37), left (‐0.77 vs ‐1.0459) and right (‐0.80 vs ‐1.04) posterior cingulate, but different for the left precuneus (‐0.91 vs ‐1.33).ConclusionSynthetic images would increase patients’ accessibility to a meaningful modality for disease assessment while decreasing their exposure to radiation and resources in the health care system.