Medium-energy General-purpose Research Articles

Monte Carlo Simulation of Characteristics of Discovery NM/CT 670 Pro SPECT System for Routinely Used Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radionuclides.

The collimator in the SPECT imaging system is a critical component that uniquely influences image quality. Collimator selection for the imaging of the specific isotope is of the utmost importance. This study used Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the response of different collimators for commonly used radionuclides in SPECT imaging. Methods: The Simulating Medical Imaging Nuclear Detectors Monte Carlo program was used to simulate the Discovery NM/CT 670 Pro SPECT system equipped for a collimator-radionuclide pair to optimize the selection of the collimator for SPECT imaging. Low-energy high-resolution (LEHR), medium-energy general-purpose (MEGP), and high-energy general-purpose (HEGP) collimators were simulated with 99mTc, 177Lu, and 131I point sources (1 MBq) to evaluate spatial resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction, and septal penetration. The results were analyzed for the optimization of the collimator-radionuclide pair. Results: For 99mTc (γ-energy, 140 keV), the resolution (full width at half maximum), sensitivity, scatter fraction, and septal penetration for LEHR, MEGP, and HEGP were 7.03 mm, 189 counts per minute (cpm)/μCi, 3.50%, and 2.65%; 9.3 mm, 184 cpm/μCi, 2.32%, and 1.35%; and 11.3 mm, 224 cpm/μCi, 2.05%, and 1.27%, respectively. For 177Lu (γ-energy, 113 and 208 keV), the respective values were 7.5 mm, 62.52 cpm/μCi, 22.22%, and 18.56%; 9.6 mm, 20 cpm/μCi, 3.36%, and 2.19%; and 12.03 mm, 25 cpm/μCi, 2.88%, and 1.89%. For 131I (γ-energy, 364 keV), the respective values were 11.5 mm, 6,027 cpm/μCi, 28.80%, and 49.78%; 11.3 mm, 152 cpm/μCi, 43.49%, and 32.89%; and 14.08 mm, 86 cpm/μCi, 23.85%, and 17.96%. Conclusion: The study highlighted the need to understand collimator characteristics as a function of photon energy, where quantitative evaluation is the main aspect. The study suggests that the collimators that had optimal characteristics for imaging with 99mTc, 177Lu, and 131I were the LEHR, MEGP, and HEGP collimators, respectively.

Energy window optimization in bremsstrahlung imaging after Yttrium-90 microsphere therapy

In imaging of Yttrium-90 patients treated hepatic primary and metastatic cancers, bremsstrahlung photons produced in a wide energy range is used. However, the image quality depends on acquisition energy window. This research aimed energy window optimization for Yttrium-90 bremsstrahlung imaging and 48 patients with various types of cancer received radioembolization therapy were investigated. Patients were imaged using a GE Healthcare Optima NM/CT 640 series gamma camera system with a medium energy general-purpose (MEGP) collimator and planar images were acquired with 8 different energy windows in the 55–400 keV energy range. The data set, formed with the % FOV, contrast, and spatial resolution of image quality parameters calculated from these images, was statistically examined with ANOVA and Tukey tests. According to the visual evaluations and ANOVA/Tukey test results, it was statistically concluded that energy window of 90–110 keV is the optimal energy window while 60–400 keV energy ranges show the lowest image quality for Y-90 bremsstrahlung imaging.

Acquisition Conditions for Lu-177 DOTATATE Imaging

We investigated imaging conditions for the distribution of lutetium oxodotreotide (Lu-177 DOTATATE) in the body during peptide receptor radionuclide therapy for neuroendocrine tumor (NET). We investigated imaging conditions using gamma rays emitted from the radionuclide. The gamma rays had energy peaks at 113 and 208 keV and characteristic X-rays at 56 keV. Image quality was compared by utilizing a combination of low–medium-energy general-purpose (LMEGP) and medium-energy general-purpose (MEGP) collimators. This study included the measurement of total spatial resolution (Full Width at Half Maximum) using a line source phantom. We compared the image quality of static images using a plane phantom and SPECT images using a cylindrical phantom. This comparison involved assessing recovery coefficient curves, count ratio, and %CV. Imaging evaluation was also performed on one NET patient. In phantom studies and the clinical study, comparing the combination of the three energy peaks (56 + 113 + 208 keV) using the LMEGP collimator and the conventional combination (113 + 208 keV) using the MEGP collimator revealed a count ratio of 1.9 times the maximum, stable %CV, and the best image quality.

Phantom-Based Standardization Method for 123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine Heart-to-Mediastinum Ratio Validated by D-SPECT Versus Anger Camera

Background: The 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine heart-to-mediastinum ratios (HMRs) have been standardized between D-SPECT and Anger cameras in a small patient cohort using a phantom-based conversion method. This study aimed to determine the validity of this method and compare the diagnostic performance of the two cameras in a larger patient cohort. Methods: We retrospectively calculated HMRs from early and late anterior-planar equivalent and planar images acquired from 173 patients in 177 studies using D-SPECT and Anger cameras, respectively. The D-SPECT HMRs were cross-calibrated to an Anger camera using conversion coefficients based on previous phantom findings, then standardized to medium-energy general-purpose collimator conditions. Relationships between HMRs before and after corrections were investigated. Late HMRs were classified into four cardiac mortality risk groups and divided into two groups using a threshold of 2.2 to verify diagnostic performance concordance. Results: Correction improved linear regression lines and differences in HMRs among the groups. The overall ratios of perfect concordance were (134 [75.7%] of 177), and higher in groups with very low (49 [80.3%] of 61) and high (51 [86.4%] of 59) HMRs when the standardized HMR was classified according to cardiac mortality risk. That between the systems was the highest (164 [92.7%] of 177) when the HMR was divided by a threshold value of 2.2. Conclusions: Phantom-based conversion can standardize HMRs between D-SPECT and Anger cameras because the standardized HMR provided comparable diagnostic performance. Our findings indicated that this conversion could be applied to multicenter studies that include both D-SPECT and Anger cameras.

Investigation of Different Components of Parallel-Hole Collimator Response to Different Radioisotope Energies Used in Nuclear Medicine Imaging.

The quality of images obtained from the nuclear medicine imaging systems depends on different factors. One of the most important of these factors is the geometrical and physical characteristics of collimator used for imaging with a given radioisotope. The aim of this study is to investigate the contribution of different components of collimator response for determining the most suitable parallel-hole collimator for the different radioisotope energies used in nuclear medicine imaging. In this study, the SIMIND Monte Carlo simulation program is used to determine the contribution of geometrical, penetrating and scattered response components of four hexagonal parallel-hole collimators including low-energy high-resolution (LEHR), low-energy general-purpose (LEGP), medium-energy general-purpose (MEGP), and high-energy general-purpose (HEGP) collimators, for 12 different energies used in nuclear medicine imaging. According to the simulation results, the use of both the LEHR and LEGP collimators leads to a geometrical component above 60% for energies between 69 and 171 keV. On the other hand, for energies between 185 and 245 keV, the MEGP collimator and for energy of 364 keV, the HEGP collimator gives the geometrical components above 70% and 60%, respectively, while for energy of 511 keV, the geometrical response of all four collimators is below 20%. The results of this study show that for two low-energy single-photopeak radioisotopes, Tc-99m and I-123, the LEHR and LEGP collimators, and for high-energy single-photopeak radioisotope, I-131, the HEGP collimator are most suitable collimators. For dual-photopeak In-111 radioisotope and triple-photopeak Ga-67 radioisotope, the MEGP and HEGP collimators and for triple-photopeak Tl-201 radioisotopes, the LEHR and LEGP collimators are proposed as most suitable collimators.

Energy window optimization for Bremsstrahlung Y90 SPECT-CT imaging : a phantom study

Introduction: In Yttrium-90 SPECT imaging, the energy window and collimator used during acquisition can have a major effect on image quality. In this work, we used a new and independent method to verify the prevoius results suggest different energy ranges, but all centered at 130 keV. Materials and method: We used Siemens Symbia SPECT-CT system fitted with High Energy General Purpose (HEGP), Medium Energy General Purpose (MEGP) and Low Energy High Resolution (LEHR) to acquire data from NEMA IEC PET Body Phantom with its 6 different spheres of 3.7, 2.8, 2.2, 1.7, 1.3, 1.0 cm diameter. Results:HEGP collimator is the most suitable for acquisitions of 90Y bremsstrahlung radiation from the point of view of the correct volume reproduction. For the bigger sphere’s study, the optimum ISO-counting curves is related to the energy range centred in 130 keV.Conclusion: The results obtained are consistent with previous studies. The Iso Counting Curves method can help to improve image quality.

Establishment of a clinical SPECT/CT protocol for imaging of 161Tb

BackgroundIt has been proposed, and preclinically demonstrated, that 161Tb is a better alternative to 177Lu for the treatment of small prostate cancer lesions due to its high emission of low-energy electrons. 161Tb also emits photons suitable for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. This study aims to establish a SPECT protocol for 161Tb imaging in the clinic.Materials and methodsOptimal settings using various γ-camera collimators and energy windows were explored by imaging a Jaszczak phantom, including hollow-sphere inserts, filled with 161Tb. The collimators examined were extended low-energy general purpose (ELEGP), medium-energy general purpose (MEGP), and low-energy high resolution (LEHR), respectively. In addition, three ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithms were investigated: attenuation-corrected OSEM (A-OSEM); attenuation and dual- or triple-energy window scatter-corrected OSEM (AS-OSEM); and attenuation, scatter, and collimator-detector response-corrected OSEM (ASC-OSEM), where the latter utilized Monte Carlo-based reconstruction. Uniformity corrections, using intrinsic and extrinsic correction maps, were also investigated. Image quality was assessed by estimated recovery coefficients (RC), noise, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Sensitivity was determined using a circular flat phantom.ResultsThe best RC and SNR were obtained at an energy window between 67.1 and 82.1 keV. Ring artifacts, caused by non-uniformity, were removed with extrinsic uniformity correction for the energy window between 67.1 and 82.1 keV, but not with intrinsic correction. Analyzing the lower energy window between 48.9 and 62.9 keV, the ring artifacts remained after uniformity corrections. The recovery was similar for the different collimators when using a specific OSEM reconstruction. Recovery and SNR were highest for ASC-OSEM, followed by AS-OSEM and A-OSEM. When using the optimized parameter setting, the resolution of 161Tb was higher than for 177Lu (8.4 ± 0.7 vs. 10.4 ± 0.6 mm, respectively). The sensitivities for 161Tb and 177Lu were 7.41 and 8.46 cps/MBq, respectively.ConclusionSPECT with high resolution is feasible with 161Tb; however, extrinsic uniformity correction is recommended to avoid ring artifacts. The LEHR collimator was the best choice of the three tested to obtain a high-resolution image. Due to the complex emission spectrum of low-energy photons, window-based scatter correction had a minor impact on the image quality compared to using attenuation correction only. On the other hand, performing attenuation, scatter, and collimator-detector correction clearly improved image quality. Based on these data, SPECT-based dosimetry for 161Tb-labeled radiopharmaceuticals is feasible.

Impact of Collimator on DaT-SPECT Imaging: Monte Carlo Simulation Study

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the collimator in viewing the dopamine transporter, using 123I ioflupane single-photon emission computed tomography (DaT-SPECT) images utilizing a Monte Carlo simulation. Methods: For the purpose of this study, the Monte Carlo simulation of electrons and photons (MCEP)- SPECT was used. A numerical phantom was created from a real basal ganglia phantom and installed within the code. The specific binding ratios (SBRs) were 5.03 and 2.01 for the background concentration of 7.44 kBq/mL or 7.04 and 3.03 for a background concentration of 5.56 kBq/mL. The simulated images were evaluated using a recovery coefficient (RC). Initially, we simulated the performance of 14 collimators without resolution correction to investigate the impact of the collimator dimension. The effects of two resolution correction methods (collimator broad correction (CBC) and three-dimensional frequency– distance relationship (3D-FDR)) on two reconstruction methods (Ordered-Subsets Expectation Maximization (OSEM) and Filtered back projection (FBP)) was assessed for collimators that demonstrated a better RC value. Results: Five low-energy high-resolution (LEHR) collimators and one medium-energy general-purpose (MEGP) collimator demonstrated superior RC values. These collimators had a high aspect ratio (holelength/hole-diameter). The maximum RC value without resolution correction was 64.9% when the image was reconstructed with OSEM. The RC value improved to 79.7% when the resolution correction of CBC was applied. When the resolution collection was applied, the RCs improved by approximately 1.2 times when compared against those without the resolution correction. In terms of the reconstruction method, the RC obtained using OSEM was statistically insignificant when compared to the RC using FBP. The difference in the RC value with collimators decreased according to resolution correction. Conclusion: The LEHR collimator with a high aspect ratio, and the OSEM with spatial resolution correction were confirmed to be appropriate for DaT-SPECT imaging. In terms of the reconstruction method, CBC was more favourable than FDR.

BIGDOSE: software for 3D personalized targeted radionuclide therapy dosimetry.

Advance 3D quantitative radionuclide imaging techniques boost the accuracy of targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) dosimetry to voxel level. The goal of this work is to develop a comprehensive 3D dosimetric software, BIGDOSE, with new features of image registration and virtual CT for patient-specific dosimetry. BIGDOSE includes a portable graphical user interface written in Python, integrating (I) input of sequential ECT/CT images; (II) segmentation; (III) non-rigid image registration; (IV) curve fitting and voxel-based integration; (V) dose conversion and (VI) 3D dose analysis. The accuracy of the software was evaluated using a simulation study with 9 XCAT phantoms. We simulated SPECT/CT acquisitions at 1, 12, 24, 72 and 144-hrs post In-111 Zevalin injection with inter-scans misalignments using an analytical projector for medium energy general purpose (MEGP) collimator, modeling attenuation, scatter and collimator-detector response. The SPECT data were reconstructed using quantitative OS-EM method. A CT organ-based registration was performed before the dose calculation. Organ absorbed doses for the corresponding Y-90 therapeutic agent were calculated on target organs and compared with those obtained from OLINDA/EXM, using dose measured from GATE as the gold standard. One patient with In-111 DTPAOC injection as well as two patients with Y-90 microsphere embolization were used to demonstrate the clinical effectiveness of our software. In the simulation, the organ dose errors of BIGDOSE were -9.59%±9.06%, -8.36±5.82%, -23.41%±6.67%, -6.05%±2.06% for liver, spleen, kidneys and lungs, while they were -25.72%±12.52%, -14.93%±10.91%, -28.63%±12.97% and -45.30%±5.84% for OLINDA/EXM. Cumulative dose volume histograms, dose maps and iso-dose contours provided 3D dose distribution information on the simulated and patient data. BIGDOSE provides a one-stop platform for voxel-based dose estimation with enhanced functions. It is a promising tool to streamline the current clinical TRT dosimetric practice with high accuracy, incorporating 3D personalized imaging information for improved treatment outcome.

Evaluation the effect of different collimators and energy window on Y-90 bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging by SIMIND Monte Carlo program.

Recently, the treatment efficiency of Yttrium 90 (Y-90) and providing reliable estimates of activity by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of bremsstrahlung radiation released during beta therapy have been evaluated. In the Y-90 bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging, the resulting energy spectrum is very complex and continuous, which creates many difficulties in the imaging protocol and image reconstruction. Furthermore, image quality and quantitative accuracy in the bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging are affected by collimator penetration and scatter. So, the collimator type and its geometry have impressive effects on the spatial resolution, system sensitivity and image contrast. Hereby, in this paper, we evaluated the effect of the energy window (three energy windows: 60 to 160 keV, 160 to 400 keV, and 60 to 400 keV) and the commercial parallel-hole collimators with different geometric parameters on the Y-90 bremsstrahlung spectrum and the image quality of the liver tumors based on criteria such as system sensitivity and image contrast. SIMIND Monte Carlo simulation code was used to generate the Y-90 bremsstrahlung SPECT images of the liver tumor with different diameters: 1.36, 2.04, 2.72, 3.4, 4.08, and 4.76 cm by use of the digital Zubal phantom. Furthermore, the tumor size was estimated by evaluating pixel intensity profile on the line drawn through the activity distribution image. Our results showed that the collimator choice and energy window setting in the bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging have significant effects on the image quality and tumor size estimation. Optimal image quality could be acquired by the energy window of 60 to 400 keV and the SPECT system equipped with a Medium-Energy General-Purpose (MEGP) collimator of Millennium VG Kameran (GV) Company. Moreover, the estimation of distribution size was close to the actual value for tumor sizes larger than 2.04 cm, especially by using the SPECT system equipped with the GV-MEGP collimator in the wide energy window. We found an optimal collimator to be more appropriate for improving the imaging quality of Y-90 bremsstrahlung photons, which can be used for reliable activity distribution estimates after radiation therapy.

Technical Note: Virtual CT for reducing CT dose in targeted radionuclide therapy dosimetry.

Previously we have shown that using sequential CT images is superior to sequential SPECT for nonrigid registration in three-dimensional (3D) targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) dosimetry. However, sequential CTs are often not available due to radiation concerns. In this paper, we propose a virtual CT (vCT) method for attenuation and scatter correction, image registration, and segmentation for improved dosimetric accuracy with single CT acquisition. We used a population of nine XCAT phantoms with different In-111 Zevalin biokinetics and anatomical variations for the simulations. An analytical projector was used to simulate sequential SPECT/CT acquisitions for a medium energy general purpose collimator at 1, 12, 24, 72, and 144 h postinjection, modeling attenuation, scatter, and geometric collimator-detector response. The corresponding sequential attenuation maps of the phantoms served as real CT (rCT) images. For vCT generation, we investigated three registration methods, that is, (a) SPECT to SPECT; (b) SPECT to CT, and (c) CT to SPECT, and the optimal time point for single CT acquisition. Difference images and average normalized mean square errors (NMSE) were calculated between different vCTs and their corresponding rCTs. Absorbed dose and dose-volume histograms (DVHs) for critical organs were computed for the rCT, optimized vCT, and conventional single CT (1CT) protocols, respectively, for dosimetric analyses. For vCT generation, SPECT to SPECT registration with a single CT acquired at the first time point shows the smallest difference and NMSE. For organ absorbed doses, the results of vCT were similar to those of rCT and were superior to 1CT, that is, -0.24 ± 1.56% vs -0.49 ± 1.76% vs -6.37 ± 5.63% for the liver, -1.05 ± 2.89% vs -0.69 ± 2.74% vs -4.87 ± 4.35% for kidneys, respectively. The results of DVHs also showed improvement for all organs using vCTs as compared to the conventional 1CT protocol. The optimized vCT method can effectively increase the TRT dosimetric results if there is only a single CT available in the sequential imaging protocol, reducing the substantial increase in radiation burden from repeated CT scans.

Assessment of collimators in radium-223 imaging with channelized Hotelling observer: a simulation study.

Radium-223 (223Ra) is used in unsealed radionuclide therapy for metastatic bone tumors. The aim of this study is to apply a computational model observer to 223Ra planar images, and to assess the performance of collimators in 223Ra imaging. The 223Ra planar images were created via an in-house Monte Carlo simulation code using HEXAGON and NAI modules. The phantom was a National Electrical Manufacturers Association body phantom with a hot sphere. The concentration of the background was 55Bq/mL, and the sphere was approximately 1.5-20 times that of the background concentration. The acquisition time was 10min. The photopeaks (and the energy window) were 84 (full width of energy window: 20%), 154 (15%), and 270keV (10%). Each 40 images, with and without hot concentration, were applied to a three-channel difference-of-Gaussian channelized Hotelling observer (CHO), and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the hot region was calculated. The images were examined using five different collimators: two low-energy general-purpose (LEGP), two medium-energy general-purpose (MEGP), and one high-energy general-purpose (HEGP) collimators. The SNR value was linearly proportional to the contrast of the hot region for all collimators and energy windows. The images of the 84-keV energy window with the MEGP collimator that have thicker septa and larger holes produced the highest SNR value. The SNR values of two LEGP collimators were approximately half of the MEGP collimators. The HEGP collimator was halfway between the MEGP and LEGP. Similar characteristics were observed for other energy windows (154, 270keV). The SNR value of images captured via the 270-keV energy window was larger than 154-keV, although the sensitivity of the 270-keV energy window is lower than 154-keV. The results suggested a positive correlation between the SNR value and the fraction of unscattered photons. The SNR value of CHO reflected the performance of collimators and was available to assess and quantitatively evaluate the collimator performance in 223Ra imaging. The SNR value depends on the magnitudes of unscattered photon count and the fraction of unscattered photon count. Consequently, in this study, MEGP collimators performed better than LEGP and HEGP collimators for 223Ra imaging.

OA108] Quantitative analysis of ventilation SPECT applied to krypton and technegas

Purpose Assessment of the state of the lungs by ventilation perfusion (V/Q) Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography combined with Computed Tomography (SPECT/CT) has proved its value as a clinical tool. Physicians study both ventilation and perfusion images, but also the ratio image of these two. However, the interpretation of these images is qualitative. For the ventilation images quantitative measures were investigated in the case of Krypton-81 m and Technegas (Tc-99 m labelled graphite particles). Krypton is a gaseous ventilation tracer and distributes similarly to air. However, it is not widely available and relatively expensive. Technegas is cheaper and has wider availability, but is an aerosol, which may result in hot spots in obstructed airways. Methods Dual-isotope ventilation SPECT/CT with both Technegas(140 keV) and Krypton(190 keV) simultaneously was obtained for 11 patients with medium and low energy general purpose collimators including a follow-up. This resulted in 38 ventilation studies in total. Reconstruction was performed with and without attenuation and scatter correction. The penetration index and the heterogeneity index (with and without band filtering for relevant clinical sizes) were calculated for the right and left lung. Scatterplots of the intensities of the Krypton and Technegas images were made and statistical outliers were detected. Results Significant lower penetration indexes for Technegas were found for the medium energy collimators, but were not seen for the low energy collimators. The higher heterogeneity indexes for Technegas were significant in all cases except for the uncorrected medium energy collimators data. Band filtering of the heterogeneity index improved the statistical significance of the differences. The scatterplots showed that all patients suffered from Technegas-outliers in one or both lungs, indicating the presence of hot spots. The visually identified hot spots could be mapped to the outliers seen in the scatterplots. Conclusions The applied quantitative analysis revealed that there are significant differences between Krypton and Technegas as a ventilation tracer for patients with severe COPD. The penetration index may have limited clinical relevance, since it does not capture complicated activity distributions. However, the heterogeneity index with band filtering is potentially a useful quantitative clinical measure.

Is 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine heart-to-mediastinum ratio dependent on age? From Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine normal database

BackgroundHeart-to-mediastinum ratios (HMRs) of 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) have usually been applied to prognostic evaluations of heart failure and Lewy body disease. However, whether these ratios depend on patient age has not yet been clarified using normal databases.MethodsWe analyzed 62 patients (average age 57 ± 19 years, male 45%) derived from a normal database of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine working group. The HMR was calculated from early (15 min) and delayed (3–4 h) anterior planar 123I-MIBG images. All HMRs were standardized to medium-energy general purpose (MEGP) collimator equivalent conditions using conversion coefficients for the collimator types. Washout rates (WR) were also calculated, and we analyzed whether early and late HMR, and WR are associated with age.ResultsBefore standardization of HMR to MEGP collimator conditions, HMR and age did not significantly correlate. However, late HMR significantly correlated with age after standardization: late HMR = − 0.0071 × age + 3.69 (r2 = 0.078, p = 0.028), indicating that a 14-year increase in age corresponded to a decrease in HMR of 0.1. Whereas the lower limit (2.5% quantile) of late HMR was 2.3 for all patients, it was 2.5 and 2.0 for those aged ≤ 63 and > 63 years, respectively. Early HMR tended to be lower in subjects with the higher age (p = 0.076), whereas WR was not affected by age.ConclusionWhile late HMR was slightly decreased in elderly patients, the lower limit of 2.2–2.3 can still be used to determine both early and late HMR.

Evaluation of the Reconstruction Parameters of Brain Dopamine Transporter SPECT images Obtained by a Fan Beam Collimator: A Comparison with Parallel-hole Collimators.

Objective(s):The purpose of this study was to examine the optimal reconstruction parameters for brain dopamine transporter SPECT images obtained with a fan beam collimator and compare the results with those obtained by using parallel-hole collimators. Methods:Data acquisition was performed using two SPECT/CT devices, namely a Symbia T6 and an Infinia Hawkeye 4 (device A and B) equipped with fan-beam (camera A-1 and B-1), low- and medium-energy general-purpose (camera A-2 and B-2), and low-energy high-resolution (camera A-3 and B-3) collimators. The SPECT images were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP) with Chang’s attenuation correction. However, the scatter correction was not performed. A pool phantom and a three-dimensional (3D) brain phantom were filled with 123I solution to examine the reconstruction parameters. The optimal attenuation coefficient was based on the visual assessment of the profile curve, coefficient of variation (CV) [%], and summed difference from the reference activity of the pool phantom. The optimal Butterworth filter for the 3D-brain phantom was also determined based on a visual assessment. The anthropomorphic striatal phantom was filled with 123I solution at striatum-to-background radioactivity ratios of 8, 6, 4, and 3. The specific binding ratio (SBR) of the striatum (calculated by the CT method) was used to compare the results with those of the parallel-hole collimators.Results:The optimal attenuation coefficients were 0.09, 0.11, 0.05, 0.05, 0.11, and, 0.10 cm-1 for cameras A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, B-2, and B-3, respectively. The cutoff frequencies of the Butterworth filter were 0.32, 0.40, and 0.36 cycles/cm for camera A, and 0.46, 0.44, and 0.44 cycles/cm for camera B, respectively. The recovery rates of the SBRmean with camera A were 51.2%, 49.4%, and 45.6%, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant. The recovery rates of the SBR with camera B were 59.2%, 50.7%, and 50.8%, respectively. Camera B-1 showed significantly high SBR values.Conclusion:As the findings indicated, the optimal reconstruction parameters differed according to the devices and collimators. The fan beam collimator was found to provide promising results with each device.

Ra-223 SPECT for semi-quantitative analysis in comparison with Tc-99m HMDP SPECT: phantom study and initial clinical experience

BackgroundImage-based measurement of absorbed dose of Ra-223 dichloride may be useful in predicting therapeutic outcome in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). In general, SPECT has been found to be more accurate than planar imaging in terms of lesion-based analysis. The aims of this study were to assess the feasibility and clinical usefulness of Ra-223 SPECT.The energy spectrum of Ra-223 and SPECT images of a cylindrical phantom with a hot rod were obtained to determine the collimator candidates and energy window settings suitable for clinical Ra-223 SPECT (basic study A). Another phantom with a tube-shaped chamber and two spheres simulating bowel activity and metastatic lesions in the lumbar spine was scanned with medium-energy general-purpose (MEGP) and high-energy general-purpose (HEGP) collimators (basic study B). Ten patients with CRPC underwent SPECT imaging 2 h after Ra-223 injection successively with MEGP and HEGP collimators in random order for 30 min each. Lesion detectability and semi-quantitative analyses of bone metastasis (i.e. lesion-to-background ratio (LBR)) were performed compared to Tc-99m HMDP SPECT.ResultsBasic study A revealed that an 84-keV photopeak ± 20% using the HEGP collimator offers better SPECT image quality than the other imaging conditions. Basic study B showed that uptake in one of the spheres was overestimated by overlapped activity of the tube-shaped chamber in planar imaging whereas the spheres had similar counts and significantly higher sphere-to-background ratio in SPECT. On both planar and SPECT images, HEGP gave higher image contrast than MEGP (p < 0.01). In the clinical study, Ra-223 SPECT at 84 keV ± 20% depicted more lesions with the HEGP than with the MEGP collimator (51 vs 36, p = 0.013). There was a positive correlation between LBR in Tc-99m SPECT and in Ra-223 SPECT (r = 0.67 with the MEGP and 0.69 with the HEGP collimator, p < 0.01). LBRs were significantly higher with the HEGP than with the MEGP collimator (p < 0.01).ConclusionsWe recommended the use of the HEGP collimator at 84 keV ± 20% for Ra-223 SPECT imaging. Lesion-based semi-quantitative analysis in the human study revealed a good correlation between Ra-223 and Tc-99m HMDP SPECT in the early phase (2–3 h post injection).

Cross calibration of 123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine heart-to-mediastinum ratio with D-SPECT planogram and Anger camera

BackgroundCardiac 123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake is quantified using the heart-to-mediastinum ratio (HMR) with an Anger camera. The relationship between HMR determined using D-SPECT with a cadmium–zinc–telluride detector and an Anger camera is not fully understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to define this relationship using images derived from a phantom and from patients.MethodsCross-calibration phantom studies using an Anger camera with a low-energy high-resolution (LEHR) collimator and D-SPECT, and clinical 123I-MIBG studies proceeded in 40 consecutive patients (80 studies). In the phantom study, a conversion coefficient (CC) was defined based on phantom experiments and applied to the Anger camera and the D-SPECT detector. The HMR was calculated using anterior images with the Anger camera and anterior planograms with D-SPECT. First, the HMR from D-SPECT was cross-calibrated to the Anger camera, and then, the HMR from both cameras were converted to the medium-energy general-purpose collimator condition (CC 0.88; ME88 condition). The relationship between HMR and corrected and uncorrected methods was examined. A 123I-MIBG washout rate was calculated using both methods with and without background subtraction.ResultsBased on the phantom experiments, the CC of the Anger camera with an LEHR collimator and of D-SPECT using an anterior planogram was 0.55 and 0.63, respectively. The original HMR from the Anger camera and D-SPECT was 1.76 ± 0.42 and 1.86 ± 0.55, respectively (p < 0.0001). After D-SPECT HMR was converted to the Anger camera condition, the corrected D-SPECT HMR became comparable to the values under the Anger camera condition (1.75 ± 0.48, p = n. s.). When the HMR measured using the two cameras were converted under the ME88 condition, the average standardized HMR from the Anger camera and D-SPECT became comparable (2.21 ± 0.65 vs. 2.20 ± 0.75, p = n. s.). After standardization to the ME88 condition, a systematic difference in the linear regression lines disappeared, and the HMR from both the Anger (StdHMRAnger) and D-SPECT (StdHMRDSPECT) became comparable. Additional correction using a regression line further improved the relationship between both HMR [StdHMRDSPECT = 0.09 + 0.98 × StdHMRAnger (R2 = 0.91)]. The washout rate closely correlated with and without background correction between both methods (R2 = 0.83 and 0.65, respectively).ConclusionThe phantom-based conversion method is applicable to D-SPECT and enables the common application of HMR irrespective of D-SPECT and the Anger camera.

Lu-177 DOTATATE dosimetry for neuroendocrine tumor: single center experience

Lu-177 labelled with DOTATE is widely acceptable to treat Neuroendocrine Tumor (NET) disease and it better improvement of quality of patients’ life since few years ago. However, the radionuclide toxicity becomes the main limitation of the (NET) treatment. Therefore, we performed a pilot study aimed to estimate radiation absorbed doses to dose-limiting organs to develop a systemic therapy with Lu-177 in NET patients. In this study, five set of planar whole body images was acquired every 0.5 hour, 4 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours after Lu-177 administrations. The planar image acquisition was done using Philip Brightview X with Medium Energy General Purpose Collimator (MEGP) collimator. All patients’ images in Conjugate View (CV) format were transferred into PMOD 3.7 Software for Region of Interest (ROI) analysis. The ROI were drawn at selected organs such as kidneys, liver, spleen and bladder. This study found that the mean absorbed dose for kidneys 0.62 ± 0.26 Gy/GBq, liver 0.63 ± 0.28 Gy/GBq, spleen 0.83 ± 0.73 Gy/GBq and bladder 0.14 ± 0.07 Gy/GBq. The radionuclide kinetic for the whole body 99.7 ± 0.1 percent at 0.5 hours, 79.5 ± 10.7 percent at 4 hours, 56.6 ± 10.3 percent at 24 hours, 43.2 ± 7.9 percent at 48 hours and 37.1 ± 9.0 percent at 72 hours. This study verifies that this planar quantitative method able to determine organ at risk and the result line with other published data.

Objective comparison of lesion detectability in low and medium-energy collimator iodine-123 mIBG images using a channelized Hotelling observer

Iodine-123 mIBG imaging is widely regarded as a gold standard for diagnostic studies of neuroblastoma and adult neuroendocrine cancer although the optimal collimator for tumour imaging remains undetermined. Low-energy (LE) high-resolution (HR) collimators provide superior spatial resolution. However due to septal penetration of high-energy photons these provide poorer contrast than medium-energy (ME) general-purpose (GP) collimators. LEGP collimators improve count sensitivity. The aim of this study was to objectively compare the lesion detection efficiency of each collimator to determine the optimal collimator for diagnostic imaging.The septal penetration and sensitivity of each collimator was assessed. Planar images of the patient abdomen were simulated with static scans of a Liqui-Phil™ anthropomorphic phantom with lesion-shaped inserts, acquired with LE and ME collimators on 3 different manufacturers’ gamma camera systems (Skylight (Philips), Intevo (Siemens) and Discovery (GE)). Two-hundred normal and 200 single-lesion abnormal images were created for each collimator. A channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) was developed and validated to score the images for the likelihood of an abnormality. The areas under receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves, Az, created from the scores were used to quantify lesion detectability. The CHO ROC curves for the LEHR collimators were inferior to the GP curves for all cameras. The LEHR collimators resulted in statistically significantly smaller Azs (p < 0.05), of on average 0.891 ± 0.004, than for the MEGP collimators, 0.933 ± 0.004. In conclusion, the reduced background provided by MEGP collimators improved 123I mIBG image lesion detectability over LEHR collimators that provided better spatial resolution.

Feasibility of gamma camera system with CdWO4 detector for quantitation of yttrium-90 bremsstrahlung imaging: Monte Carlo simulation study

Yttrium-90 (Y-90) has attracted great attention as a therapeutic radionuclide because of higher emitted particle energy and pure beta emitter. In Y-90 bremsstrahlung imaging, NaI(Tl) and GSO detectors are widely used in detecting photon but these detectors cannot be easily applied to this imaging because of relatively low sensitivity. Among detector candidates, cadmium tungstate (CdWO4) can acquire high detection efficiency due to the high density and good light yield. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of gamma camera system with CdWO4 detector for quantitation of Y-90 bremsstrahlung imaging using a Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE). To evaluate performance of the imaging system, a Y-90 point source was designed in GATE simulation. These detectors using CdWO4, NaI(Tl), and GSO were equipped with low energy general purpose (LEGP), medium energy general purpose (MEGP), and high energy general purpose (HEGP) parallel-hole collimators. According to the results, the average sensitivities of the CdWO4 detector with LEGP, MEGP, and HEGP were 43.76, 37.16, and 28.22cps/MBq, respectively. In addition, the sensitivity was higher for CdWO4 detector system than for NaI(Tl) or GSO detector systems for all parallel-hole collimator system with 55–285keV energy window. However, differences of scatter fraction for three detectors were very similar. Our results showed that the effect and feasibility of CdWO4 detector for Y-90 bremsstrahlung imaging can be investigated by a GATE simulation. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that CdWO4 detector can be achieved improved performance of Y-90 bremsstrahlung imaging.