Clinical evaluation of PET image quality as a function of acquisition time in a new TOF-PET/MR compared to TOF-PET/CT - initial results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeimpekis, Konstantinos; Huellner, Martin; De Galiza Barbosa, Felipe; Ter Voert, Edwin; Davison, Helen; Delso, Gaspar; Veit-Haibach, Patrick

2015-01-01

The recently available integrated PET/MR imaging can offer significant additional advances in clinical imaging. The purpose of this study was to compare the PET performance between a PET/CT scanner and an integrated TOF-PET/MR scanner concerning image quality parameters and quantification in terms of SUV as a function of acquisition time (a surrogate of dose). Five brain and five whole body patients were included in the study. The PET/CT scan was used as a reference and the PET/MR acquisition time was consecutively adjusted, taking into account the decay between the scans in order to expose both systems to the same amount of emitted signal. The acquisition times were then retrospectively reduced to assess the performance of the PET/MRI for lower count rates. Image quality, image sharpness, artifacts and noise were evaluated. SUV measurements were taken in the liver and in white matter to compare quantification. Quantitative evaluation showed good correlation between PET/CT and PET/MR brain SUVs. Liver correlation was lower, with uptake underestimation in PET/MR, partially justified by bio-redistribution. The clinical evaluation showed that PET/MR offers higher image quality and sharpness with lower levels of noise and artefacts compared to PET/CT with reduced acquisition times for whole body scans, while for brain scans there is no significant difference. The PET-component of the TOF-PET/MR showed higher image quality compared to PET/CT as tested with reduced imaging times. However, these results account mainly for body imaging, while no significant difference were found in brain imaging. This overall higher image quality suggests that the acquisition time or injected activity can be reduced by at least 37% on the PET/MR scanner.

Clinical evaluation of PET image quality as a function of acquisition time in a new TOF-PET/MR compared to TOF-PET/CT - initial results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeimpekis, Konstantinos; Huellner, Martin; De Galiza Barbosa, Felipe; Ter Voert, Edwin; Davison, Helen; Delso, Gaspar; Veit-Haibach, Patrick [Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Zurich (Switzerland)

2015-05-18

The recently available integrated PET/MR imaging can offer significant additional advances in clinical imaging. The purpose of this study was to compare the PET performance between a PET/CT scanner and an integrated TOF-PET/MR scanner concerning image quality parameters and quantification in terms of SUV as a function of acquisition time (a surrogate of dose). Five brain and five whole body patients were included in the study. The PET/CT scan was used as a reference and the PET/MR acquisition time was consecutively adjusted, taking into account the decay between the scans in order to expose both systems to the same amount of emitted signal. The acquisition times were then retrospectively reduced to assess the performance of the PET/MRI for lower count rates. Image quality, image sharpness, artifacts and noise were evaluated. SUV measurements were taken in the liver and in white matter to compare quantification. Quantitative evaluation showed good correlation between PET/CT and PET/MR brain SUVs. Liver correlation was lower, with uptake underestimation in PET/MR, partially justified by bio-redistribution. The clinical evaluation showed that PET/MR offers higher image quality and sharpness with lower levels of noise and artefacts compared to PET/CT with reduced acquisition times for whole body scans, while for brain scans there is no significant difference. The PET-component of the TOF-PET/MR showed higher image quality compared to PET/CT as tested with reduced imaging times. However, these results account mainly for body imaging, while no significant difference were found in brain imaging. This overall higher image quality suggests that the acquisition time or injected activity can be reduced by at least 37% on the PET/MR scanner.

MR Imaging-Guided Attenuation Correction of PET Data in PET/MR Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Catana, Ciprian

2016-04-01

Attenuation correction (AC) is one of the most important challenges in the recently introduced combined PET/magnetic resonance (MR) scanners. PET/MR AC (MR-AC) approaches aim to develop methods that allow accurate estimation of the linear attenuation coefficients of the tissues and other components located in the PET field of view. MR-AC methods can be divided into 3 categories: segmentation, atlas, and PET based. This review provides a comprehensive list of the state-of-the-art MR-AC approaches and their pros and cons. The main sources of artifacts are presented. Finally, this review discusses the current status of MR-AC approaches for clinical applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the accuracy and reproducibility of a novel probabilistic atlas-based generation for calculation of head attenuation maps on integrated PET/MR scanners.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kevin T; Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Poynton, Clare B; Chonde, Daniel B; Catana, Ciprian

2017-03-01

To propose an MR-based method for generating continuous-valued head attenuation maps and to assess its accuracy and reproducibility. Demonstrating that novel MR-based photon attenuation correction methods are both accurate and reproducible is essential prior to using them routinely in research and clinical studies on integrated PET/MR scanners. Continuous-valued linear attenuation coefficient maps ("μ-maps") were generated by combining atlases that provided the prior probability of voxel positions belonging to a certain tissue class (air, soft tissue, or bone) and an MR intensity-based likelihood classifier to produce posterior probability maps of tissue classes. These probabilities were used as weights to generate the μ-maps. The accuracy of this probabilistic atlas-based continuous-valued μ-map ("PAC-map") generation method was assessed by calculating the voxel-wise absolute relative change (RC) between the MR-based and scaled CT-based attenuation-corrected PET images. To assess reproducibility, we performed pair-wise comparisons of the RC values obtained from the PET images reconstructed using the μ-maps generated from the data acquired at three time points. The proposed method produced continuous-valued μ-maps that qualitatively reflected the variable anatomy in patients with brain tumor and agreed well with the scaled CT-based μ-maps. The absolute RC comparing the resulting PET volumes was 1.76 ± 2.33 %, quantitatively demonstrating that the method is accurate. Additionally, we also showed that the method is highly reproducible, the mean RC value for the PET images reconstructed using the μ-maps obtained at the three visits being 0.65 ± 0.95 %. Accurate and highly reproducible continuous-valued head μ-maps can be generated from MR data using a probabilistic atlas-based approach.

On the accuracy and reproducibility of a novel probabilistic atlas-based generation for calculation of head attenuation maps on integrated PET/MR scanners

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Kevin T. [Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Charlestown, MA (United States); Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Catana, Ciprian [Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Charlestown, MA (United States); Poynton, Clare B. [Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Charlestown, MA (United States); Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA (United States); University of California, San Francisco, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, San Francisco, CA (United States); Chonde, Daniel B. [Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Charlestown, MA (United States); Harvard University, Program in Biophysics, Cambridge, MA (United States)

2017-03-15

To propose an MR-based method for generating continuous-valued head attenuation maps and to assess its accuracy and reproducibility. Demonstrating that novel MR-based photon attenuation correction methods are both accurate and reproducible is essential prior to using them routinely in research and clinical studies on integrated PET/MR scanners. Continuous-valued linear attenuation coefficient maps (''μ-maps'') were generated by combining atlases that provided the prior probability of voxel positions belonging to a certain tissue class (air, soft tissue, or bone) and an MR intensity-based likelihood classifier to produce posterior probability maps of tissue classes. These probabilities were used as weights to generate the μ-maps. The accuracy of this probabilistic atlas-based continuous-valued μ-map (''PAC-map'') generation method was assessed by calculating the voxel-wise absolute relative change (RC) between the MR-based and scaled CT-based attenuation-corrected PET images. To assess reproducibility, we performed pair-wise comparisons of the RC values obtained from the PET images reconstructed using the μ-maps generated from the data acquired at three time points. The proposed method produced continuous-valued μ-maps that qualitatively reflected the variable anatomy in patients with brain tumor and agreed well with the scaled CT-based μ-maps. The absolute RC comparing the resulting PET volumes was 1.76 ± 2.33 %, quantitatively demonstrating that the method is accurate. Additionally, we also showed that the method is highly reproducible, the mean RC value for the PET images reconstructed using the μ-maps obtained at the three visits being 0.65 ± 0.95 %. Accurate and highly reproducible continuous-valued head μ-maps can be generated from MR data using a probabilistic atlas-based approach. (orig.)

Transmission imaging for integrated PET-MR systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowen, Spencer L; Fuin, Niccolò; Levine, Michael A; Catana, Ciprian

2016-08-07

Attenuation correction for PET-MR systems continues to be a challenging problem, particularly for body regions outside the head. The simultaneous acquisition of transmission scan based μ-maps and MR images on integrated PET-MR systems may significantly increase the performance of and offer validation for new MR-based μ-map algorithms. For the Biograph mMR (Siemens Healthcare), however, use of conventional transmission schemes is not practical as the patient table and relatively small diameter scanner bore significantly restrict radioactive source motion and limit source placement. We propose a method for emission-free coincidence transmission imaging on the Biograph mMR. The intended application is not for routine subject imaging, but rather to improve and validate MR-based μ-map algorithms; particularly for patient implant and scanner hardware attenuation correction. In this study we optimized source geometry and assessed the method's performance with Monte Carlo simulations and phantom scans. We utilized a Bayesian reconstruction algorithm, which directly generates μ-map estimates from multiple bed positions, combined with a robust scatter correction method. For simulations with a pelvis phantom a single torus produced peak noise equivalent count rates (34.8 kcps) dramatically larger than a full axial length ring (11.32 kcps) and conventional rotating source configurations. Bias in reconstructed μ-maps for head and pelvis simulations was  ⩽4% for soft tissue and  ⩽11% for bone ROIs. An implementation of the single torus source was filled with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose and the proposed method quantified for several test cases alone or in comparison with CT-derived μ-maps. A volume average of 0.095 cm(-1) was recorded for an experimental uniform cylinder phantom scan, while a bias of  <2% was measured for the cortical bone equivalent insert of the multi-compartment phantom. Single torus μ-maps of a hip implant phantom showed significantly

Do carotid MR surface coils affect PET quantification in PET/MR imaging?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willemink, Martin J; Eldib, Mootaz; Leiner, Tim; Fayad, Zahi A; Mani, Venkatesh

2015-01-01

To evaluate the effect of surface coils for carotid MR imaging on PET quantification in a clinical simultaneous whole-body PET/MR scanner. A cylindrical phantom was filled with a homogeneous 2L water-FDG mixture at a starting dose of 301.2MBq. Clinical PET/MR and PET/CT systems were used to acquire PET-data without a coil (reference standard) and with two carotid MRI coils (Siemens Special Purpose 8-Channel and Machnet 4-Channel Phased Array). PET-signal attenuation was evaluated with Osirix using 51 (PET/MR) and 37 (PET/CT) circular ROIs. Mean and maximum standardized uptake values (SUVs) were quantified for each ROI. Furthermore, SUVs of PET/MR and PET/CT were compared. For validation, a patient was scanned with an injected dose of 407.7MBq on both a PET/CT and a PET/MR system without a coil and with both coils. PET/MR underestimations were -2.2% (Siemens) and -7.8% (Machnet) for SUVmean, and -1.2% (Siemens) and -3.3% (Machnet) for SUVmax, respectively. For PET/CT, underestimations were -1.3% (Siemens) and -1.4% (Machnet) for SUVmean and -0.5% (both Siemens and Machnet) for SUVmax, respectively using no coil data as reference. Except for PET/CT SUVmax values all differences were significant. SUVs differed significantly between PET/MR and PET/CT with SUVmean values of 0.51-0.55 for PET/MR and 0.68-0.69 for PET/CT, respectively. The patient examination showed that median SUVmean values measured in the carotid arteries decreased from 0.97 without a coil to 0.96 (Siemens) and 0.88 (Machnet). Carotid surface coils do affect attenuation correction in both PET/MR and PET/CT imaging. Furthermore, SUVs differed significantly between PET/MR and PET/CT.

Quantitative PET imaging with the 3T MR-BrainPET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weirich, C.; Scheins, J.; Lohmann, P.; Tellmann, L.; Byars, L.; Michel, C.; Rota Kops, E.; Brenner, D.; Herzog, H.; Shah, N.J.

2013-01-01

The new hybrid imaging technology of MR-PET allows for simultaneous acquisition of versatile MRI contrasts and the quantitative metabolic imaging with PET. In order to achieve the quantification of PET images with minimal residual error the application of several corrections is crucial. In this work we present our results on quantification with the 3T MR BrainPET scanner

Use of a clinical PET/MR scanner for preclinical research with first results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chary, Karthik; Teuho, Jarmo; Virta, Jenni; Sipilä, Hannu; Saunavaara, Virva; Roivainen, Anne; Teräs, Mika

2014-01-01

This study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of preclinical imaging in a clinical PET/MR system. Preliminary sequences were evaluated for establishing preclinical protocols for rat brain and rabbit knee. Rats were placed in a stereotactic holder, allowing a 30 minute scan time before re-administration of anesthesia. In-house developed warm-water heating system was used to maintain the body temperature at 37.5°C, monitored using an MR-compatible rectal probe. Brain imaging was performed with a dedicated 4 channel phased array receive coil (RAPID Biomedical GmbH, Germany). High resolution coronal images were acquired using conventional T1-SE (0.30x0.30x1.2mm) and T2-TSE (0.23x0.23x0.7mm) with a total scan time of 30 min. PET/MR imaging was performed on two white rabbits. The rabbits were imaged in a custom wooden holder. PET/MR protocol had a total duration of 45 minutes. No external heating was used. MR protocol consisted of anatomical T1, T2 and PDW of the knees, using a SENSE Flex-S coil. MR attenuation correction (MRAC) was acquired with 3D T1-FFE using three-class segmentation. A dynamic 30 minute PET acquisition was started on injection of 33.8MBq of Ga-68. Animal coils enabled high resolution images to be acquired in reasonable acquisition time with regards to animal handling and anesthesia. T1 and T2 images provided good differentiation of anatomy in the rat brain with high contrast. T1, T2 and PDW images of the rabbit knee had high resolution and differentiation of anatomical structures. MRAC was able to distinguish the knees and the body contour. Image fusion of PET and MR was able to localize the infection, which was confirmed by a physician. Pre-clinical imaging with the Ingenuity TF was deemed feasible, although PET imaging is limited by the resolution of the scanner. The preliminary sequences were successfully implemented for future studies on the Ingenuity TF.

Use of a clinical PET/MR scanner for preclinical research with first results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chary, Karthik; Teuho, Jarmo; Virta, Jenni; Sipilä, Hannu; Saunavaara, Virva; Roivainen, Anne; Teräs, Mika [Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku (Finland)

2014-07-29

This study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of preclinical imaging in a clinical PET/MR system. Preliminary sequences were evaluated for establishing preclinical protocols for rat brain and rabbit knee. Rats were placed in a stereotactic holder, allowing a 30 minute scan time before re-administration of anesthesia. In-house developed warm-water heating system was used to maintain the body temperature at 37.5°C, monitored using an MR-compatible rectal probe. Brain imaging was performed with a dedicated 4 channel phased array receive coil (RAPID Biomedical GmbH, Germany). High resolution coronal images were acquired using conventional T1-SE (0.30x0.30x1.2mm) and T2-TSE (0.23x0.23x0.7mm) with a total scan time of 30 min. PET/MR imaging was performed on two white rabbits. The rabbits were imaged in a custom wooden holder. PET/MR protocol had a total duration of 45 minutes. No external heating was used. MR protocol consisted of anatomical T1, T2 and PDW of the knees, using a SENSE Flex-S coil. MR attenuation correction (MRAC) was acquired with 3D T1-FFE using three-class segmentation. A dynamic 30 minute PET acquisition was started on injection of 33.8MBq of Ga-68. Animal coils enabled high resolution images to be acquired in reasonable acquisition time with regards to animal handling and anesthesia. T1 and T2 images provided good differentiation of anatomy in the rat brain with high contrast. T1, T2 and PDW images of the rabbit knee had high resolution and differentiation of anatomical structures. MRAC was able to distinguish the knees and the body contour. Image fusion of PET and MR was able to localize the infection, which was confirmed by a physician. Pre-clinical imaging with the Ingenuity TF was deemed feasible, although PET imaging is limited by the resolution of the scanner. The preliminary sequences were successfully implemented for future studies on the Ingenuity TF.

An overview of PET/MR, focused on clinical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Catalano, Onofrio Antonio; Masch, William Roger; Catana, Ciprian; Mahmood, Umar; Sahani, Dushyant Vasudeo; Gee, Michael Stanley; Menezes, Leon; Soricelli, Andrea; Salvatore, Marco; Gervais, Debra; Rosen, Bruce Robert

2017-02-01

Hybrid PET/MR scanners are innovative imaging devices that simultaneously or sequentially acquire and fuse anatomical and functional data from magnetic resonance (MR) with metabolic information from positron emission tomography (PET) (Delso et al. in J Nucl Med 52:1914-1922, 2011; Zaidi et al. in Phys Med Biol 56:3091-3106, 2011). Hybrid PET/MR scanners have the potential to greatly impact not only on medical research but also, and more importantly, on patient management. Although their clinical applications are still under investigation, the increased worldwide availability of PET/MR scanners, and the growing published literature are important determinants in their rising utilization for primarily clinical applications. In this manuscript, we provide a summary of the physical features of PET/MR, including its limitations, which are most relevant to clinical PET/MR implementation and to interpretation. Thereafter, we discuss the most important current and emergent clinical applications of such hybrid technology in the abdomen and pelvis, both in the field of oncologic and non-oncologic imaging, and we provide, when possible, a comparison with clinically consolidated imaging techniques, like for example PET/CT.

PET/MR in oncology: an introduction with focus on MR and future perspectives for hybrid imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Balyasnikova, Svetlana; Löfgren, Johan; de Nijs, Robin; Zamogilnaya, Yanna; Højgaard, Liselotte; Fischer, Barbara M

2012-01-01

After more than 20 years of research, a fully integrated PET/MR scanner was launched in 2010 enabling simultaneous acquisition of PET and MR imaging. Currently, no clinical indication for combined PET/MR has been established, however the expectations are high. In this paper we will discuss some of the challenges inherent in this new technology, but focus on potential applications for simultaneous PET/MR in the field of oncology. Methods and tracers for use with the PET technology will be familiar to most readers of this journal; thus this paper aims to provide a short and basic introduction to a number of different MRI techniques, such as DWI-MR (diffusion weighted imaging MR), DCE-MR (dynamic contrast enhanced MR), MRS (MR spectroscopy) and MR for attenuation correction of PET. All MR techniques presented in this paper have shown promising results in the treatment of patients with solid tumors and could be applied together with PET increasing the amount of information about the tissues of interest. The potential clinical benefit of applying PET/MR in staging, radiotherapy planning and treatment evaluation in oncology, as well as the research perspectives for the use of PET/MR in the development of new tracers and drugs will be discussed. PMID:23145362

Effect of MR contrast agents on quantitative accuracy of PET in combined whole-body PET/MR imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lois, Cristina [University of Santiago de Compostela, Department of Particle Physics, Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Imaging Science Institute, Tuebingen (Germany); Bezrukov, Ilja [Eberhard Karls University, Laboratory for Preclinical Imaging and Imaging Technology of the Werner Siemens Foundation, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Tuebingen (Germany); Max Plank Institute for Intelligent Systems, Department of Empirical Inference, Tuebingen (Germany); Schmidt, Holger [Eberhard Karls University, Laboratory for Preclinical Imaging and Imaging Technology of the Werner Siemens Foundation, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Tuebingen (Germany); Eberhard Karls University, Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); Schwenzer, Nina; Werner, Matthias K. [Eberhard Karls University, Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); Kupferschlaeger, Juergen [Eberhard Karls University, Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); Beyer, Thomas [Imaging Science Institute, Tuebingen (Germany); cmi-experts GmbH, Zuerich (Switzerland)

2012-11-15

Clinical PET/MR acquisition protocols entail the use of MR contrast agents (MRCA) that could potentially affect PET quantification following MR-based attenuation correction (AC). We assessed the effect of oral and intravenous (IV) MRCA on PET quantification in PET/MR imaging. We employed two MRCA: Lumirem {sup registered} (oral) and Gadovist {sup registered} (IV). First, we determined their reference PET attenuation values using a PET transmission scan (ECAT-EXACT HR+, Siemens) and a CT scan (PET/CT Biograph 16 HI-REZ, Siemens). Second, we evaluated the attenuation of PET signals in the presence of MRCA. Phantoms were filled with clinically relevant concentrations of MRCA in a background of water and {sup 18}F-fluoride, and imaged using a PET/CT scanner (Biograph 16 HI-REZ, Siemens) and a PET/MR scanner (Biograph mMR, Siemens). Third, we investigated the effect of clinically relevant volumes of MRCA on MR-based AC using human pilot data: a patient study employing Gadovist {sup registered} (IV) and a volunteer study employing two different oral MRCA (Lumirem {sup registered} and pineapple juice). MR-based attenuation maps were calculated following Dixon-based fat-water segmentation and an external atlas-based and pattern recognition (AT and PR) algorithm. IV and oral MRCA in clinically relevant concentrations were found to have PET attenuation values similar to those of water. The phantom experiments showed that under clinical conditions IV and oral MRCA did not yield additional attenuation of PET emission signals. Patient scans showed that PET attenuation maps are not biased after the administration of IV MRCA but may be biased, however, after ingestion of iron oxide-based oral MRCA when segmentation-based AC algorithms are used. Alternative AC algorithms, such as AT and PR, or alternative oral contrast agents, such as pineapple juice, can yield unbiased attenuation maps. In clinical PET/MR scenarios MRCA are not expected to lead to markedly increased attenuation

MR-assisted PET motion correction in simultaneous PET/MRI studies of dementia subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kevin T; Salcedo, Stephanie; Chonde, Daniel B; Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Levine, Michael A; Price, Julie C; Dickerson, Bradford C; Catana, Ciprian

2018-03-08

Subject motion in positron emission tomography (PET) studies leads to image blurring and artifacts; simultaneously acquired magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data provides a means for motion correction (MC) in integrated PET/MRI scanners. To assess the effect of realistic head motion and MR-based MC on static [ 18 F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET images in dementia patients. Observational study. Thirty dementia subjects were recruited. 3T hybrid PET/MR scanner where EPI-based and T 1 -weighted sequences were acquired simultaneously with the PET data. Head motion parameters estimated from high temporal resolution MR volumes were used for PET MC. The MR-based MC method was compared to PET frame-based MC methods in which motion parameters were estimated by coregistering 5-minute frames before and after accounting for the attenuation-emission mismatch. The relative changes in standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) between the PET volumes processed with the various MC methods, without MC, and the PET volumes with simulated motion were compared in relevant brain regions. The absolute value of the regional SUVR relative change was assessed with pairwise paired t-tests testing at the P = 0.05 level, comparing the values obtained through different MR-based MC processing methods as well as across different motion groups. The intraregion voxelwise variability of regional SUVRs obtained through different MR-based MC processing methods was also assessed with pairwise paired t-tests testing at the P = 0.05 level. MC had a greater impact on PET data quantification in subjects with larger amplitude motion (higher than 18% in the medial orbitofrontal cortex) and greater changes were generally observed for the MR-based MC method compared to the frame-based methods. Furthermore, a mean relative change of ∼4% was observed after MC even at the group level, suggesting the importance of routinely applying this correction. The intraregion voxelwise variability of regional SUVRs

Initial reconstruction results from a simulated adaptive small animal C shaped PET/MR insert

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Efthimiou, Nikos [Technological Educational Institute of Athens (Greece); Kostou, Theodora; Papadimitroulas, Panagiotis [Technological Educational Institute of Athens (Greece); Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, University of Patras (Greece); Charalampos, Tsoumpas [Division of Biomedical Imaging, University of Leeds, Leeds (United Kingdom); Loudos, George [Technological Educational Institute of Athens (Greece)

2015-05-18

Traditionally, most clinical and preclinical PET scanners, rely on full cylindrical geometry for whole body as well as dedicated organ scans, which is not optimized with regards to sensitivity and resolution. Several groups proposed the construction of dedicated PET inserts for MR scanners, rather than the construction of new integrated PET/MR scanners. The space inside an MR scanner is a limiting factor which can be reduced further with the use of extra coils, and render the use of non-flexible cylindrical PET scanners difficult if not impossible. The incorporation of small SiPM arrays, can provide the means to design adaptive PET scanners to fit in tight locations, which, makes imaging possible and improve the sensitivity, due to the closer approximation to the organ of interest. In order to assess the performance of such a device we simulated the geometry of a C shaped PET, using GATE. The design of the C-PET was based on a realistic SiPM-BGO scenario. In order reconstruct the simulated data, with STIR, we had to calculate system probability matrix which corresponds to this non standard geometry. For this purpose we developed an efficient multi threaded ray tracing technique to calculate the line integral paths in voxel arrays. One of the major features is the ability to automatically adjust the size of FOV according to the geometry of the detectors. The initial results showed that the sensitivity improved as the angle between the detector arrays increases, thus better angular sampling the scanner's field of view (FOV). The more complete angular coverage helped in improving the shape of the source in the reconstructed images, as well. Furthermore, by adapting the FOV to the closer to the size of the source, the sensitivity per voxel is improved.

Initial reconstruction results from a simulated adaptive small animal C shaped PET/MR insert

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Efthimiou, Nikos; Kostou, Theodora; Papadimitroulas, Panagiotis; Charalampos, Tsoumpas; Loudos, George

2015-01-01

Traditionally, most clinical and preclinical PET scanners, rely on full cylindrical geometry for whole body as well as dedicated organ scans, which is not optimized with regards to sensitivity and resolution. Several groups proposed the construction of dedicated PET inserts for MR scanners, rather than the construction of new integrated PET/MR scanners. The space inside an MR scanner is a limiting factor which can be reduced further with the use of extra coils, and render the use of non-flexible cylindrical PET scanners difficult if not impossible. The incorporation of small SiPM arrays, can provide the means to design adaptive PET scanners to fit in tight locations, which, makes imaging possible and improve the sensitivity, due to the closer approximation to the organ of interest. In order to assess the performance of such a device we simulated the geometry of a C shaped PET, using GATE. The design of the C-PET was based on a realistic SiPM-BGO scenario. In order reconstruct the simulated data, with STIR, we had to calculate system probability matrix which corresponds to this non standard geometry. For this purpose we developed an efficient multi threaded ray tracing technique to calculate the line integral paths in voxel arrays. One of the major features is the ability to automatically adjust the size of FOV according to the geometry of the detectors. The initial results showed that the sensitivity improved as the angle between the detector arrays increases, thus better angular sampling the scanner's field of view (FOV). The more complete angular coverage helped in improving the shape of the source in the reconstructed images, as well. Furthermore, by adapting the FOV to the closer to the size of the source, the sensitivity per voxel is improved.

PET Imaging Stability Measurements During Simultaneous Pulsing of Aggressive MR Sequences on the SIGNA PET/MR System.

Science.gov (United States)

Deller, Timothy W; Khalighi, Mohammad Mehdi; Jansen, Floris P; Glover, Gary H

2018-01-01

The recent introduction of simultaneous whole-body PET/MR scanners has enabled new research taking advantage of the complementary information obtainable with PET and MRI. One such application is kinetic modeling, which requires high levels of PET quantitative stability. To accomplish the required PET stability levels, the PET subsystem must be sufficiently isolated from the effects of MR activity. Performance measurements have previously been published, demonstrating sufficient PET stability in the presence of MR pulsing for typical clinical use; however, PET stability during radiofrequency (RF)-intensive and gradient-intensive sequences has not previously been evaluated for a clinical whole-body scanner. In this work, PET stability of the GE SIGNA PET/MR was examined during simultaneous scanning of aggressive MR pulse sequences. Methods: PET performance tests were acquired with MR idle and during simultaneous MR pulsing. Recent system improvements mitigating RF interference and gain variation were used. A fast recovery fast spin echo MR sequence was selected for high RF power, and an echo planar imaging sequence was selected for its high heat-inducing gradients. Measurements were performed to determine PET stability under varying MR conditions using the following metrics: sensitivity, scatter fraction, contrast recovery, uniformity, count rate performance, and image quantitation. A final PET quantitative stability assessment for simultaneous PET scanning during functional MRI studies was performed with a spiral in-and-out gradient echo sequence. Results: Quantitation stability of a 68 Ge flood phantom was demonstrated within 0.34%. Normalized sensitivity was stable during simultaneous scanning within 0.3%. Scatter fraction measured with a 68 Ge line source in the scatter phantom was stable within the range of 40.4%-40.6%. Contrast recovery and uniformity were comparable for PET images acquired simultaneously with multiple MR conditions. Peak noise equivalent count

Toward implementing an MRI-based PET attenuation-correction method for neurologic studies on the MR-PET brain prototype.

Science.gov (United States)

Catana, Ciprian; van der Kouwe, Andre; Benner, Thomas; Michel, Christian J; Hamm, Michael; Fenchel, Matthias; Fischl, Bruce; Rosen, Bruce; Schmand, Matthias; Sorensen, A Gregory

2010-09-01

Several factors have to be considered for implementing an accurate attenuation-correction (AC) method in a combined MR-PET scanner. In this work, some of these challenges were investigated, and an AC method based entirely on the MRI data obtained with a single dedicated sequence was developed and used for neurologic studies performed with the MR-PET human brain scanner prototype. The focus was on the problem of bone-air segmentation, selection of the linear attenuation coefficient for bone, and positioning of the radiofrequency coil. The impact of these factors on PET data quantification was studied in simulations and experimental measurements performed on the combined MR-PET scanner. A novel dual-echo ultrashort echo time (DUTE) MRI sequence was proposed for head imaging. Simultaneous MR-PET data were acquired, and the PET images reconstructed using the proposed DUTE MRI-based AC method were compared with the PET images that had been reconstructed using a CT-based AC method. Our data suggest that incorrectly accounting for the bone tissue attenuation can lead to large underestimations (>20%) of the radiotracer concentration in the cortex. Assigning a linear attenuation coefficient of 0.143 or 0.151 cm(-1) to bone tissue appears to give the best trade-off between bias and variability in the resulting images. Not identifying the internal air cavities introduces large overestimations (>20%) in adjacent structures. On the basis of these results, the segmented CT AC method was established as the silver standard for the segmented MRI-based AC method. For an integrated MR-PET scanner, in particular, ignoring the radiofrequency coil attenuation can cause large underestimations (i.e., PET field of view has to be accurately known. High-quality bone-air segmentation can be performed using the DUTE data. The PET images obtained using the DUTE MRI- and CT-based AC methods compare favorably in most of

4-D PET-MR with Volumetric Navigators and Compressed Sensing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedemonte, Stefano; Catana, Ciprian; Van Leemput, Koen

2015-01-01

Hybrid PET-MR scanners acquire multi-modal signals simultaneously, eliminating the requirement of software alignment between the MR and PET imaging data. However, the acquisition of high-resolution MR and PET images requires long scanning times, therefore movement of the subject during the acquis...

Simulation of a MR–PET protocol for staging of head-and-neck cancer including Dixon MR for attenuation correction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eiber, Matthias, E-mail: matthias.eiber@tum.de [Department of Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich (Germany); Souvatzoglou, Michael, E-mail: msouvatz@yahoo.de [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich (Germany); Pickhard, Anja, E-mail: a.pickhard@lrz.tum.de [Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich (Germany); Loeffelbein, Denys J., E-mail: denys.loeffelbein@gmx.de [Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich (Germany); Knopf, Andreas, E-mail: andreas.knopf@tum.de [Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich (Germany); Holzapfel, Konstantin, E-mail: holzapfel@roe.med.tum.de [Department of Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich (Germany); Martinez-Möller, Axel, E-mail: a.martinez-moller@lrz.tu-muenchen.de [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich (Germany); and others

2012-10-15

Purpose: To simulate and optimize a MR protocol for squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (HNSCC) patients for potential future use in an integrated whole-body MR–PET scanner. Materials and methods: On a clinical 3T scanner, which is the basis for a recently introduced fully integrated whole-body MR–PET, 20 patients with untreated HNSCC routinely staged with 18F-FDG PET/CT underwent a dedicated MR protocol for the neck. Moreover, a whole-body Dixon MR-sequence was applied, which is used for attenuation correction on a recently introduced hybrid MR–PET scanner. In a subset of patients volume-interpolated-breathhold (VIBE) T1w-sequences for lungs and liver were added. Total imaging time was analyzed for both groups. The quality of the delineation of the primary tumor (scale 0–3) and the presence or absence of lymph node metastases (scale 1–5) was evaluated for CT, MR, PET/CT and a combination of MR and PET to ensure that the MR–PET fusion does not cause a loss of diagnostic capability. PET was used to identify distant metastases. The PET dataset for simulated MR/PET was based on a segmentation of the CT data into 4 classes according to the approach of the Dixon MR-sequence for MR–PET. Standard of reference was histopathology in 19 cases. In one case no histopathological confirmation of a primary tumor could be achieved. Results: Mean imaging time was 35:17 min (range: 31:08–42:42 min) for the protocol including sequences for local staging and attenuation correction and 44:17 min (range: 35:44–54:58) for the extended protocol. Although not statistically significant a combination of MR and PET performed better in the delineation of the primary tumor (mean 2.20) compared to CT (mean 1.40), MR (1.95) and PET/CT (2.15) especially in patients with dental implants. PET/CT and combining MR and PET performed slightly better than CT and MR for the assessment of lymph node metastases. Two patients with distant metastases were only identified by PET

Validation of a simultaneous PET/MR system model for PET simulation using GATE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monnier, Florian; Fayad, Hadi; Bert, Julien; Schmidt, Holger; Visvikis, Dimitris

2015-01-01

Simultaneous PET/MR acquisition shows promise in a range of applications. Simulation using GATE is an essential tool that allows obtaining the ground truth for such acquisitions and therefore helping in the development and the validation of innovative processing methods such as PET image reconstruction, attenuation correction and motion correction. The purpose of this work is to validate the GATE simulation of the Siemens Biograph mMR PET/MR system. A model of the Siemens Biograph mMR was developed. This model includes the geometry and spatial positioning of the crystals inside the scanner and the characteristics of the detection process. The accuracy of the model was tested by comparing, on a real physical phantom study, GATE simulated results to reconstructed PET images using measured results obtained from a Siemens Biograph mMR system. The same parameters such as the acquisition time and phantom position inside the scanner were fixed for our simulations. List-mode outputs were recovered in both cases and reconstructed using the OPL-EM algorithm. Several parameters were used to compare the two reconstructed images such as profile comparison, signal-to-noise ratio and activity contrast analysis. Finally patient acquired MR images were segmented and used for the simulation of corresponding PET images. The simulated and acquired sets of reconstructed phantom images showed close emission values in regions of interest with relative differences lower than 5%. The scatter fraction was within a <3% agreement. Close matching of profiles and contrast indices were obtained between simulated and corresponding acquired PET images. Our results indicate that the GATE developed Biograph mMR model is accurate in comparison to the real scanner performance and can be used for evaluating innovative processing methods for applications in clinical PET/MR protocols.

Principles of Simultaneous PET/MR Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Catana, Ciprian

2017-05-01

Combined PET/MR imaging scanners capable of acquiring simultaneously the complementary information provided by the 2 imaging modalities are now available for human use. After addressing the hardware challenges for integrating the 2 imaging modalities, most of the efforts in the field have focused on developing MR-based attenuation correction methods for neurologic and whole-body applications, implementing approaches for improving one modality by using the data provided by the other and exploring research and clinical applications that could benefit from the synergistic use of the multimodal data. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Towards integration of PET/MR hybrid imaging into radiation therapy treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paulus, Daniel H.; Thorwath, Daniela; Schmidt, Holger; Quick, Harald H.

2014-01-01

Purpose: Multimodality imaging has become an important adjunct of state-of-the-art radiation therapy (RT) treatment planning. Recently, simultaneous PET/MR hybrid imaging has become clinically available and may also contribute to target volume delineation and biological individualization in RT planning. For integration of PET/MR hybrid imaging into RT treatment planning, compatible dedicated RT devices are required for accurate patient positioning. In this study, prototype RT positioning devices intended for PET/MR hybrid imaging are introduced and tested toward PET/MR compatibility and image quality. Methods: A prototype flat RT table overlay and two radiofrequency (RF) coil holders that each fix one flexible body matrix RF coil for RT head/neck imaging have been evaluated within this study. MR image quality with the RT head setup was compared to the actual PET/MR setup with a dedicated head RF coil. PET photon attenuation and CT-based attenuation correction (AC) of the hardware components has been quantitatively evaluated by phantom scans. Clinical application of the new RT setup in PET/MR imaging was evaluated in anin vivo study. Results: The RT table overlay and RF coil holders are fully PET/MR compatible. MR phantom and volunteer imaging with the RT head setup revealed high image quality, comparable to images acquired with the dedicated PET/MR head RF coil, albeit with 25% reduced SNR. Repositioning accuracy of the RF coil holders was below 1 mm. PET photon attenuation of the RT table overlay was calculated to be 3.8% and 13.8% for the RF coil holders. With CT-based AC of the devices, the underestimation error was reduced to 0.6% and 0.8%, respectively. Comparable results were found within the patient study. Conclusions: The newly designed RT devices for hybrid PET/MR imaging are PET and MR compatible. The mechanically rigid design and the reproducible positioning allow for straightforward CT-based AC. The systematic evaluation within this study provides the

Comparison of PET/CT with Sequential PET/MRI Using an MR-Compatible Mobile PET System.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamoto, Ryusuke; Nakamoto, Yuji; Ishimori, Takayoshi; Fushimi, Yasutaka; Kido, Aki; Togashi, Kaori

2018-05-01

The current study tested a newly developed flexible PET (fxPET) scanner prototype. This fxPET system involves dual arc-shaped detectors based on silicon photomultipliers that are designed to fit existing MRI devices, allowing us to obtain fused PET and MR images by sequential PET and MR scanning. This prospective study sought to evaluate the image quality, lesion detection rate, and quantitative values of fxPET in comparison with conventional whole-body (WB) PET and to assess the accuracy of registration. Methods: Seventeen patients with suspected or known malignant tumors were analyzed. Approximately 1 h after intravenous injection of 18 F-FDG, WB PET/CT was performed, followed by fxPET and MRI. For reconstruction of fxPET images, MRI-based attenuation correction was applied. The quality of fxPET images was visually assessed, and the number of detected lesions was compared between the 2 imaging methods. SUV max and maximum average SUV within a 1 cm 3 spheric volume (SUV peak ) of lesions were also compared. In addition, the magnitude of misregistration between fxPET and MR images was evaluated. Results: The image quality of fxPET was acceptable for diagnosis of malignant tumors. There was no significant difference in detectability of malignant lesions between fxPET and WB PET ( P > 0.05). However, the fxPET system did not exhibit superior performance to the WB PET system. There were strong positive correlations between the 2 imaging modalities in SUV max (ρ = 0.88) and SUV peak (ρ = 0.81). SUV max and SUV peak measured with fxPET were approximately 1.1-fold greater than measured with WB PET. The average misregistration between fxPET and MR images was 5.5 ± 3.4 mm. Conclusion: Our preliminary data indicate that running an fxPET scanner near an existing MRI system provides visually and quantitatively acceptable fused PET/MR images for diagnosis of malignant lesions. © 2018 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Image reconstruction of mMR PET data using the open source software STIR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Markiewicz, Pawel [Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Thielemans, Kris [Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Burgos, Ninon [Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Manber, Richard [Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Jiao, Jieqing [Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Barnes, Anna [Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Atkinson, David [Centre for Medical Imaging, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Arridge, Simon R [Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Hutton, Brian F [Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Ourselin, Sébastien [Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Dementia Research Centre, University College London, London (United Kingdom)

2014-07-29

Simultaneous PET and MR acquisitions have now become possible with the new hybrid Biograph Molecular MR (mMR) scanner from Siemens. The purpose of this work is to create a platform for mMR 3D and 4D PET image reconstruction which would be freely accessible to the community as well as fully adjustable in order to obtain optimal images for a given research task in PET imaging. The proposed platform is envisaged to prove useful in developing novel and robust image bio-markers which could then be adapted for use on the mMR scanner.

Image reconstruction of mMR PET data using the open source software STIR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markiewicz, Pawel; Thielemans, Kris; Burgos, Ninon; Manber, Richard; Jiao, Jieqing; Barnes, Anna; Atkinson, David; Arridge, Simon R; Hutton, Brian F; Ourselin, Sébastien

2014-01-01

Simultaneous PET and MR acquisitions have now become possible with the new hybrid Biograph Molecular MR (mMR) scanner from Siemens. The purpose of this work is to create a platform for mMR 3D and 4D PET image reconstruction which would be freely accessible to the community as well as fully adjustable in order to obtain optimal images for a given research task in PET imaging. The proposed platform is envisaged to prove useful in developing novel and robust image bio-markers which could then be adapted for use on the mMR scanner.

Beyond 18F-FDG: Characterization of PET/CT and PET/MR Scanners for a Comprehensive Set of Positron Emitters of Growing Application--18F, 11C, 89Zr, 124I, 68Ga, and 90Y.

Science.gov (United States)

Soderlund, A Therese; Chaal, Jasper; Tjio, Gabriel; Totman, John J; Conti, Maurizio; Townsend, David W

2015-08-01

This study aimed to investigate image quality for a comprehensive set of isotopes ((18)F, (11)C, (89)Zr, (124)I, (68)Ga, and (90)Y) on 2 clinical scanners: a PET/CT scanner and a PET/MR scanner. Image quality and spatial resolution were tested according to NU 2-2007 of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. An image-quality phantom was used to measure contrast recovery, residual bias in a cold area, and background variability. Reconstruction methods available on the 2 scanners were compared, including point-spread-function correction for both scanners and time of flight for the PET/CT scanner. Spatial resolution was measured using point sources and filtered backprojection reconstruction. With the exception of (90)Y, small differences were seen in the hot-sphere contrast recovery of the different isotopes. Cold-sphere contrast recovery was similar across isotopes for all reconstructions, with an improvement seen with time of flight on the PET/CT scanner. The lower-statistic (90)Y scans yielded substantially lower contrast recovery than the other isotopes. When isotopes were compared, there was no difference in measured spatial resolution except for PET/MR axial spatial resolution, which was significantly higher for (124)I and (68)Ga. Overall, both scanners produced good images with (18)F, (11)C, (89)Zr, (124)I, (68)Ga, and (90)Y. © 2015 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

Assessment of PET & ASL metabolism in the hippocampal subfields of MCI and AD using simultaneous PET-MR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goubran, Maged; Douglas, David; Chao, Steven; Quon, Andrew; Tripathi, Pragya; Holley, Dawn; Vasanawala, Minal; Zaharchuk, Greg; Zeineh, Michael [Stanford University (United States)

2015-05-18

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been reported to show decreased metabolic activity in the hippocampus using FDG PET-MR. Histological data suggests that the hippocampal subfields are selectively affected in AD. Given the simultaneous imaging nature of integrated PET-MR scanners and the multimodal capabilities of PET-MR, our purpose here is to assess FDG activity, as well as ASL perfusion in the subfields of MCI and AD patients. 10 consecutive subjects were recruited for this study 3 MCI, 3 AD patients and 4 age-matched controls. The scanning was performed on a simultaneous 3T PET/MR scanner. To delineate the hippocampal subfields, automatic segmentation of hippocampal subfields (ASHS) was employed. Static FDG-PET series were reconstructed for analysis at 45-75 min for all subjects. All imaging sequences were automatically registered to the oblique coronal T2-weighted images (segmentation space). PET standardized uptake values (SUV) in the hippocampal subfields were normalized by the pons. FDG PET metabolism was reduced significantly in AD, as well as MCI patients as compared to controls, with the highest effect demonstrated in the CA3/DG and CA1/2 (p = 0.047, subfields. Patients (MCI and AD combined) had decreased metabolism as compared to controls in CA1/2 and significantly smaller volumes the Subiculum. When assessing CBF across groups, a significant decrease in CBF was found in the Subiculum. Our preliminary results demonstrate that PET-MRI may potentially be a sensitive biomarker and tool for early diagnosis of AD. They also confirm the importance of assessing metabolic and structural changes of neurodegenerative diseases at the subfield level.

Cross calibration of the Siemens mMR: easily acquired accurate PET phantom measurements, long term stability and reproducibility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keller, Sune H [Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen (Denmark); Jakoby, Bjorn [University of Surrey, Guildford (United Kingdom); Hansen, Adam Espe; Svalling, Susanne; Klausen, Thomas L [Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen (Denmark)

2015-05-18

We present a quick and easy method to perform quantitatively accurate PET scans of typical water-filled PET plastic shell phantoms on the Siemens mMR PET/MR scanner. We perform regular cross calibrations (Xcals) of our PET scanners, including the Siemens mMR PET/MR, with a Siemens mCT water phantom. We evaluate the mMR cross calibration stability over a 3-year period. Recently, the mMR software (VB20P) offered the option of using predefined μ-maps. We evaluated this option by using either the predefined μ-map of the long mMR water phantom or a system-integrated user defined CT-based μ-map of the mCT water phantom used for Xcal. On 54 cross calibrations that were acquired over 3 years, the mMR on average underestimated the concentration by 16% due to the use of MR-based μ-maps. The mMR produced the narrowest range and lowest standard deviation of the Xcal ratios, implying it and is the most stable of the 6 scanners included in this study over a 3 year period. With correctly segmented μ-maps, the mMR produced Xcal ratios of 1.00-1.02, well within the acceptance range [0.95-1.05]. Measuring the concentration in a centrally placed cylindrical VOI allows for some robustness against misregistration of the μ-maps but it should be no more than a few millimeters in the x-y plane, while the tolerance is larger on the z-axis (when, as always with PET, keeping clear of the axial edges of the FOV). The mMR is the most stable scanner in this study and the mean underestimation is no longer an issue with the easily accessible μ-map, which in all 7 tests resulted in correct Xcal ratios. We will share the user defined μ-map of the mCT phantom and the protocol with interested mMR users.

Cross calibration of the Siemens mMR: easily acquired accurate PET phantom measurements, long term stability and reproducibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keller, Sune H; Jakoby, Bjorn; Hansen, Adam Espe; Svalling, Susanne; Klausen, Thomas L

2015-01-01

We present a quick and easy method to perform quantitatively accurate PET scans of typical water-filled PET plastic shell phantoms on the Siemens mMR PET/MR scanner. We perform regular cross calibrations (Xcals) of our PET scanners, including the Siemens mMR PET/MR, with a Siemens mCT water phantom. We evaluate the mMR cross calibration stability over a 3-year period. Recently, the mMR software (VB20P) offered the option of using predefined μ-maps. We evaluated this option by using either the predefined μ-map of the long mMR water phantom or a system-integrated user defined CT-based μ-map of the mCT water phantom used for Xcal. On 54 cross calibrations that were acquired over 3 years, the mMR on average underestimated the concentration by 16% due to the use of MR-based μ-maps. The mMR produced the narrowest range and lowest standard deviation of the Xcal ratios, implying it and is the most stable of the 6 scanners included in this study over a 3 year period. With correctly segmented μ-maps, the mMR produced Xcal ratios of 1.00-1.02, well within the acceptance range [0.95-1.05]. Measuring the concentration in a centrally placed cylindrical VOI allows for some robustness against misregistration of the μ-maps but it should be no more than a few millimeters in the x-y plane, while the tolerance is larger on the z-axis (when, as always with PET, keeping clear of the axial edges of the FOV). The mMR is the most stable scanner in this study and the mean underestimation is no longer an issue with the easily accessible μ-map, which in all 7 tests resulted in correct Xcal ratios. We will share the user defined μ-map of the mCT phantom and the protocol with interested mMR users.

NEMA NU 2-2012 performance studies for the SiPM-based ToF-PET component of the GE SIGNA PET/MR system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grant, Alexander M. [Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5128 and Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5128 (United States); Deller, Timothy W.; Maramraju, Sri Harsha [GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wisconsin 53188-1678 (United States); Khalighi, Mohammad Mehdi [GE Healthcare, Applied Science Lab, Menlo Park, California 94025-3493 (United States); Delso, Gaspar [GE Healthcare and University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich 8006 (Switzerland); Levin, Craig S., E-mail: cslevin@stanford.edu [Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5128 (United States); Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5128 (United States); Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5128 (United States); Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5128 (United States)

2016-05-15

Purpose: The GE SIGNA PET/MR is a new whole body integrated time-of-flight (ToF)-PET/MR scanner from GE Healthcare. The system is capable of simultaneous PET and MR image acquisition with sub-400 ps coincidence time resolution. Simultaneous PET/MR holds great potential as a method of interrogating molecular, functional, and anatomical parameters in clinical disease in one study. Despite the complementary imaging capabilities of PET and MRI, their respective hardware tends to be incompatible due to mutual interference. In this work, the GE SIGNA PET/MR is evaluated in terms of PET performance and the potential effects of interference from MRI operation. Methods: The NEMA NU 2-2012 protocol was followed to measure PET performance parameters including spatial resolution, noise equivalent count rate, sensitivity, accuracy, and image quality. Each of these tests was performed both with the MR subsystem idle and with continuous MR pulsing for the duration of the PET data acquisition. Most measurements were repeated at three separate test sites where the system is installed. Results: The scanner has achieved an average of 4.4, 4.1, and 5.3 mm full width at half maximum radial, tangential, and axial spatial resolutions, respectively, at 1 cm from the transaxial FOV center. The peak noise equivalent count rate (NECR) of 218 kcps and a scatter fraction of 43.6% are reached at an activity concentration of 17.8 kBq/ml. Sensitivity at the center position is 23.3 cps/kBq. The maximum relative slice count rate error below peak NECR was 3.3%, and the residual error from attenuation and scatter corrections was 3.6%. Continuous MR pulsing had either no effect or a minor effect on each measurement. Conclusions: Performance measurements of the ToF-PET whole body GE SIGNA PET/MR system indicate that it is a promising new simultaneous imaging platform.

NEMA NU 2-2012 performance studies for the SiPM-based ToF-PET component of the GE SIGNA PET/MR system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grant, Alexander M.; Deller, Timothy W.; Maramraju, Sri Harsha; Khalighi, Mohammad Mehdi; Delso, Gaspar; Levin, Craig S.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The GE SIGNA PET/MR is a new whole body integrated time-of-flight (ToF)-PET/MR scanner from GE Healthcare. The system is capable of simultaneous PET and MR image acquisition with sub-400 ps coincidence time resolution. Simultaneous PET/MR holds great potential as a method of interrogating molecular, functional, and anatomical parameters in clinical disease in one study. Despite the complementary imaging capabilities of PET and MRI, their respective hardware tends to be incompatible due to mutual interference. In this work, the GE SIGNA PET/MR is evaluated in terms of PET performance and the potential effects of interference from MRI operation. Methods: The NEMA NU 2-2012 protocol was followed to measure PET performance parameters including spatial resolution, noise equivalent count rate, sensitivity, accuracy, and image quality. Each of these tests was performed both with the MR subsystem idle and with continuous MR pulsing for the duration of the PET data acquisition. Most measurements were repeated at three separate test sites where the system is installed. Results: The scanner has achieved an average of 4.4, 4.1, and 5.3 mm full width at half maximum radial, tangential, and axial spatial resolutions, respectively, at 1 cm from the transaxial FOV center. The peak noise equivalent count rate (NECR) of 218 kcps and a scatter fraction of 43.6% are reached at an activity concentration of 17.8 kBq/ml. Sensitivity at the center position is 23.3 cps/kBq. The maximum relative slice count rate error below peak NECR was 3.3%, and the residual error from attenuation and scatter corrections was 3.6%. Continuous MR pulsing had either no effect or a minor effect on each measurement. Conclusions: Performance measurements of the ToF-PET whole body GE SIGNA PET/MR system indicate that it is a promising new simultaneous imaging platform.

Time-invariant component-based normalization for a simultaneous PET-MR scanner.

Science.gov (United States)

Belzunce, M A; Reader, A J

2016-05-07

Component-based normalization is a method used to compensate for the sensitivity of each of the lines of response acquired in positron emission tomography. This method consists of modelling the sensitivity of each line of response as a product of multiple factors, which can be classified as time-invariant, time-variant and acquisition-dependent components. Typical time-variant factors are the intrinsic crystal efficiencies, which are needed to be updated by a regular normalization scan. Failure to do so would in principle generate artifacts in the reconstructed images due to the use of out of date time-variant factors. For this reason, an assessment of the variability and the impact of the crystal efficiencies in the reconstructed images is important to determine the frequency needed for the normalization scans, as well as to estimate the error obtained when an inappropriate normalization is used. Furthermore, if the fluctuations of these components are low enough, they could be neglected and nearly artifact-free reconstructions become achievable without performing a regular normalization scan. In this work, we analyse the impact of the time-variant factors in the component-based normalization used in the Biograph mMR scanner, but the work is applicable to other PET scanners. These factors are the intrinsic crystal efficiencies and the axial factors. For the latter, we propose a new method to obtain fixed axial factors that was validated with simulated data. Regarding the crystal efficiencies, we assessed their fluctuations during a period of 230 d and we found that they had good stability and low dispersion. We studied the impact of not including the intrinsic crystal efficiencies in the normalization when reconstructing simulated and real data. Based on this assessment and using the fixed axial factors, we propose the use of a time-invariant normalization that is able to achieve comparable results to the standard, daily updated, normalization factors used in this

Wavelet-based partial volume effect correction for simultaneous MR/PET of the carotid arteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bini, Jason; Eldib, Mootaz; Robson, Philip M; Fayad, Zahi A

2014-01-01

Simultaneous MR/PET scanners allow for the exploration and development of novel PVE correction techniques without the challenges of coregistration of MR and PET. The development of a wavelet-based PVE correction method, to improve PET quantification, has proven successful in brain PET. 2 We report here the first attempt to apply these methods to simultaneous MR/PET imaging of the carotid arteries.

Wavelet-based partial volume effect correction for simultaneous MR/PET of the carotid arteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bini, Jason; Eldib, Mootaz [Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, NY (United States); Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, NY, NY (United States); Robson, Philip M; Fayad, Zahi A [Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, NY (United States)

2014-07-29

Simultaneous MR/PET scanners allow for the exploration and development of novel PVE correction techniques without the challenges of coregistration of MR and PET. The development of a wavelet-based PVE correction method, to improve PET quantification, has proven successful in brain PET.{sup 2} We report here the first attempt to apply these methods to simultaneous MR/PET imaging of the carotid arteries.

Ultra fast, accurate PET image reconstruction for the Siemens hybrid MR/BrainPET scanner using raw LOR data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheins, Juergen; Lerche, Christoph; Shah, Jon

2015-01-01

Fast PET image reconstruction algorithms usually use a Line-of-Response (LOR) preprocessing step where the detected raw LOR data are interpolated either to evenly spaced sinogram projection bins or alternatively to a generic projection space as for example proposed by the PET Reconstruction Software Toolkit (PRESTO) [1]. In this way, speed-optimised, versatile geometrical projectors can be implemented for iterative image reconstruction independent of the underlying scanner geometry. However, all strategies of projection data interpolation unavoidably lead to a loss of original information and result in some degradation of image quality. Here, direct LOR reconstructions overcome this evident drawback at cost of a massively enhanced computational burden. Therefore, computational optimisation techniques are essential to make such demanding approaches attractive and economical for widespread usage in the clinical environment. In this paper, we demonstrate for the Siemens Hybrid MR/BrainPET with 240 million physical LORs that a very fast quantitative direct LOR reconstruction can be realized using a modified version of PRESTO. Now, PRESTO is also capable to directly use sets of symmetric physical LORs instead of interpolating LORs to a generic projection space. Exploiting basic scanner symmetries together with the technique of Single Instruction Multipe Data (SIMD) and Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) results in an overall calculation time of 2-3 minutes per frame on a single multi-core machine, i.e. neither requiring a cluster of mutliple machines nor Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).

Ultra fast, accurate PET image reconstruction for the Siemens hybrid MR/BrainPET scanner using raw LOR data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scheins, Juergen; Lerche, Christoph; Shah, Jon [Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich (Germany)

2015-05-18

Fast PET image reconstruction algorithms usually use a Line-of-Response (LOR) preprocessing step where the detected raw LOR data are interpolated either to evenly spaced sinogram projection bins or alternatively to a generic projection space as for example proposed by the PET Reconstruction Software Toolkit (PRESTO) [1]. In this way, speed-optimised, versatile geometrical projectors can be implemented for iterative image reconstruction independent of the underlying scanner geometry. However, all strategies of projection data interpolation unavoidably lead to a loss of original information and result in some degradation of image quality. Here, direct LOR reconstructions overcome this evident drawback at cost of a massively enhanced computational burden. Therefore, computational optimisation techniques are essential to make such demanding approaches attractive and economical for widespread usage in the clinical environment. In this paper, we demonstrate for the Siemens Hybrid MR/BrainPET with 240 million physical LORs that a very fast quantitative direct LOR reconstruction can be realized using a modified version of PRESTO. Now, PRESTO is also capable to directly use sets of symmetric physical LORs instead of interpolating LORs to a generic projection space. Exploiting basic scanner symmetries together with the technique of Single Instruction Multipe Data (SIMD) and Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) results in an overall calculation time of 2-3 minutes per frame on a single multi-core machine, i.e. neither requiring a cluster of mutliple machines nor Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).

Multi-contrast attenuation map synthesis for PET/MR scanners: assessment on FDG and Florbetapir PET tracers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burgos, Ninon [University College London, Translational Imaging Group, Centre for Medical Image Computing, London (United Kingdom); Cardoso, M.J.; Modat, Marc; Ourselin, Sebastien [University College London, Translational Imaging Group, Centre for Medical Image Computing, London (United Kingdom); University College London, Dementia Research Centre, Institute of Neurology, London (United Kingdom); Thielemans, Kris; Dickson, John [University College London, Institute of Nuclear Medicine, London (United Kingdom); Schott, Jonathan M. [University College London, Dementia Research Centre, Institute of Neurology, London (United Kingdom); Atkinson, David [University College London, Centre for Medical Imaging, London (United Kingdom); Arridge, Simon R. [University College London, Centre for Medical Image Computing, London (United Kingdom); Hutton, Brian F. [University College London, Institute of Nuclear Medicine, London (United Kingdom); University of Wollongong, Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, Wollongong, NSW (Australia)

2015-08-15

Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PET/MR) scanners are expected to offer a new range of clinical applications. Attenuation correction is an essential requirement for quantification of PET data but MRI images do not directly provide a patient-specific attenuation map. Methods We further validate and extend a Computed Tomography (CT) and attenuation map (μ-map) synthesis method based on pre-acquired MRI-CT image pairs. The validation consists of comparing the CT images synthesised with the proposed method to the original CT images. PET images were acquired using two different tracers ({sup 18}F-FDG and {sup 18}F-florbetapir). They were then reconstructed and corrected for attenuation using the synthetic μ-maps and compared to the reference PET images corrected with the CT-based μ-maps. During the validation, we observed that the CT synthesis was inaccurate in areas such as the neck and the cerebellum, and propose a refinement to mitigate these problems, as well as an extension of the method to multi-contrast MRI data. Results With the improvements proposed, a significant enhancement in CT synthesis, which results in a reduced absolute error and a decrease in the bias when reconstructing PET images, was observed. For both tracers, on average, the absolute difference between the reference PET images and the PET images corrected with the proposed method was less than 2%, with a bias inferior to 1%. Conclusion With the proposed method, attenuation information can be accurately derived from MRI images by synthesising CT using routine anatomical sequences. MRI sequences, or combination of sequences, can be used to synthesise CT images, as long as they provide sufficient anatomical information. (orig.)

Clinical evaluation of TOF versus non-TOF on PET artifacts in simultaneous PET/MR: a dual centre experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Voert, Edwin E.G.W. ter [University Hospital Zurich, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Zurich (Switzerland); University of Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland); Veit-Haibach, Patrick [University Hospital Zurich, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Zurich (Switzerland); University of Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland); University Hospital Zurich, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Zurich (Switzerland); Ahn, Sangtae [GE Global Research, Niskayuna, NY (United States); Wiesinger, Florian [GE Global Research, Muenchen (Germany); Khalighi, M.M.; Delso, Gaspar [GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI (United States); Levin, Craig S. [Stanford University, Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford, CA (United States); Iagaru, Andrei H. [Stanford University, Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Stanford, CA (United States); Zaharchuk, Greg [Stanford University, Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology, Stanford, CA (United States); Huellner, Martin [University Hospital Zurich, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Zurich (Switzerland); University of Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland); University Hospital Zurich, Department of Neuroradiology, Zurich (Switzerland)

2017-07-15

Our objective was to determine clinically the value of time-of-flight (TOF) information in reducing PET artifacts and improving PET image quality and accuracy in simultaneous TOF PET/MR scanning. A total 65 patients who underwent a comparative scan in a simultaneous TOF PET/MR scanner were included. TOF and non-TOF PET images were reconstructed, clinically examined, compared and scored. PET imaging artifacts were categorized as large or small implant-related artifacts, as dental implant-related artifacts, and as implant-unrelated artifacts. Differences in image quality, especially those related to (implant) artifacts, were assessed using a scale ranging from 0 (no artifact) to 4 (severe artifact). A total of 87 image artifacts were found and evaluated. Four patients had large and eight patients small implant-related artifacts, 27 patients had dental implants/fillings, and 48 patients had implant-unrelated artifacts. The average score was 1.14 ± 0.82 for non-TOF PET images and 0.53 ± 0.66 for TOF images (p < 0.01) indicating that artifacts were less noticeable when TOF information was included. Our study indicates that PET image artifacts are significantly mitigated with integration of TOF information in simultaneous PET/MR. The impact is predominantly seen in patients with significant artifacts due to metal implants. (orig.)

Effect of MRI acoustic noise on cerebral fludeoxyglucose uptake in simultaneous MR-PET imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Chonde, Daniel B; Abolmaali, Nasreddin; Arabasz, Grae; Guimaraes, Alexander R; Catana, Ciprian

2013-05-01

Integrated scanners capable of simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data acquisition are now available for human use. Although the scanners' manufacturers have made substantial efforts to understand and minimize the mutual electromagnetic interference between the 2 modalities, the potential physiological inference has not been evaluated. In this study, we have studied the influence of the acoustic noise produced by the magnetic resonance (MR) gradients on brain fludeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the Siemens MR-BrainPET prototype. Although particular attention was paid to the primary auditory cortex (PAC), a brain-wide analysis was also performed. The effects of the MR on the PET count rate and image quantification were first investigated in phantoms. Next, 10 healthy volunteers underwent 2 simultaneous FDG-PET/MR scans in the supine position with the FDG injection occurring inside the MR-BrainPET, alternating between a "quiet" (control) environment in which no MR sequences were run during the FDG uptake phase (the first 40 minutes after radiotracer administration) and a "noisy" (test) environment in which MR sequences were run for the entire time. Cortical and subcortical regions of interest were derived from the high-resolution morphological MR data using FreeSurfer. The changes in the FDG uptake in the FreeSurfer-derived regions of interest between the 2 conditions were analyzed from parametric and static PET images, and on a voxel-by-voxel basis using SPM8 and FreeSurfer. Only minimal to no electromagnetic interference was observed for most of the MR sequences tested, with a maximum drop in count rate of 1.5% and a maximum change in the measured activity of 1.1% in the corresponding images. The region of interest-based analysis showed statistically significant increases in the right PAC in both the parametric (9.13% [4.73%]) and static (4.18% [2.87%]) images. The SPM8 analysis showed no statistically significant

Value of a dixon-based MR/PET attenuation correction sequence for the localization and evaluation of PET-positive lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eiber, Matthias; Holzapfel, Konstantin; Rummeny, Ernst J.; Martinez-Moeller, Axel; Souvatzoglou, Michael; Ziegler, Sibylle; Schwaiger, Markus; Nekolla, Stephan G.; Beer, Ambros J.; Pickhard, Anja; Loeffelbein, Dennys; Santi, Ivan

2011-01-01

In this study, the potential contribution of Dixon-based MR imaging with a rapid low-resolution breath-hold sequence, which is a technique used for MR-based attenuation correction (AC) for MR/positron emission tomography (PET), was evaluated for anatomical correlation of PET-positive lesions on a 3T clinical scanner compared to low-dose CT. This technique is also used in a recently installed fully integrated whole-body MR/PET system. Thirty-five patients routinely scheduled for oncological staging underwent 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT and a 2-point Dixon 3-D volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) T1-weighted MR sequence on the same day. Two PET data sets reconstructed using attenuation maps from low-dose CT (PET AC C T ) or simulated MR-based segmentation (PET AC M R ) were evaluated for focal PET-positive lesions. The certainty for the correlation with anatomical structures was judged in the low-dose CT and Dixon-based MRI on a 4-point scale (0-3). In addition, the standardized uptake values (SUVs) for PET AC C T and PET AC M R were compared. Statistically, no significant difference could be found concerning anatomical localization for all 81 PET-positive lesions in low-dose CT compared to Dixon-based MR (mean 2.51 ± 0.85 and 2.37 ± 0.87, respectively; p = 0.1909). CT tended to be superior for small lymph nodes, bone metastases and pulmonary nodules, while Dixon-based MR proved advantageous for soft tissue pathologies like head/neck tumours and liver metastases. For the PET AC C T - and PET AC M R -based SUVs (mean 6.36 ± 4.47 and 6.31 ± 4.52, respectively) a nearly complete concordance with a highly significant correlation was found (r = 0.9975, p < 0.0001). Dixon-based MR imaging for MR AC allows for anatomical allocation of PET-positive lesions similar to low-dose CT in conventional PET/CT. Thus, this approach appears to be useful for future MR/PET for body regions not fully covered by diagnostic MRI due to potential time

Use of the CT component of PET-CT to improve PET-MR registration: demonstration in soft-tissue sarcoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somer, Edward J; Benatar, Nigel A; O'Doherty, Michael J; Smith, Mike A; Marsden, Paul K

2007-01-01

We have investigated improvements to PET-MR image registration offered by PET-CT scanning. Ten subjects with suspected soft-tissue sarcomas were scanned with an in-line PET-CT and a clinical MR scanner. PET to CT, CT to MR and PET to MR image registrations were performed using a rigid-body external marker technique and rigid and non-rigid voxel-similarity algorithms. PET-MR registration was also performed using transformations derived from the registration of CT to MR. The external marker technique gave fiducial registration errors of 2.1 mm, 5.1 mm and 5.3 mm for PET-CT, PET-MR and CT-MR registration. Target registration errors were 3.9 mm, 9.0 mm and 9.3 mm, respectively. Voxel-based algorithms were evaluated by measuring the distance between corresponding fiducials after registration. Registration errors of 6.4 mm, 14.5 mm and 9.5 mm, respectively, for PET-CT, PET-MR and CT-MR were observed for rigid-body registration while non-rigid registration gave errors of 6.8 mm, 16.3 mm and 7.6 mm for the same modality combinations. The application of rigid and non-rigid CT to MR transformations to accompanying PET data gives significantly reduced PET-MR errors of 10.0 mm and 8.5 mm, respectively. Visual comparison by two independent observers confirmed the improvement over direct PET-MR registration. We conclude that PET-MR registration can be more accurately and reliably achieved using the hybrid technique described than through direct rigid-body registration of PET to MR

Comparison of 18F-FET PET and perfusion-weighted MRI for glioma grading. A hybrid PET/MR study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verger, Antoine; Filss, Christian P.; Lohmann, Philipp; Stoffels, Gabriele; Rota Kops, Elena; Sabel, Michael; Wittsack, Hans J.; Galldiks, Norbert; Fink, Gereon R.; Shah, Nadim J.; Langen, Karl-Josef

2017-01-01

Both perfusion-weighted MR imaging (PWI) and O-(2- 18 F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine PET ( 18 F-FET) provide grading information in cerebral gliomas. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of 18 F-FET PET and PWI for tumor grading in a series of patients with newly diagnosed, untreated gliomas using an integrated PET/MR scanner. Seventy-two patients with untreated gliomas [22 low-grade gliomas (LGG), and 50 high-grade gliomas (HGG)] were investigated with 18 F-FET PET and PWI using a hybrid PET/MR scanner. After visual inspection of PET and PWI maps (rCBV, rCBF, MTT), volumes of interest (VOIs) with a diameter of 16 mm were centered upon the maximum of abnormality in the tumor area in each modality and the contralateral unaffected hemisphere. Mean and maximum tumor-to-brain ratios (TBR mean , TBR max ) were calculated. In addition, Time-to-Peak (TTP) and slopes of time-activity curves were calculated for 18 F-FET PET. Diagnostic accuracies of 18 F-FET PET and PWI for differentiating low-grade glioma (LGG) from high-grade glioma (HGG) were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic analyses (area under the curve; AUC). The diagnostic accuracy of 18 F-FET PET and PWI to discriminate LGG from HGG was similar with highest AUC values for TBR mean and TBR max of 18 F-FET PET uptake (0.80, 0.83) and for TBR mean and TBR max of rCBV (0.80, 0.81). In case of increased signal in the tumor area with both methods (n = 32), local hot-spots were incongruent in 25 patients (78%) with a mean distance of 10.6 ± 9.5 mm. Dynamic FET PET and combination of different parameters did not further improve diagnostic accuracy. Both 18 F-FET PET and PWI discriminate LGG from HGG with similar diagnostic performance. Regional abnormalities in the tumor area are usually not congruent indicating that tumor grading by 18 F-FET PET and PWI is based on different pathophysiological phenomena. (orig.)

Experimental evaluation and basis function optimization of the spatially variant image-space PSF on the Ingenuity PET/MR scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotasidis, Fotis A.; Zaidi, Habib

2014-01-01

Purpose: The Ingenuity time-of-flight (TF) PET/MR is a recently developed hybrid scanner combining the molecular imaging capabilities of PET with the excellent soft tissue contrast of MRI. It is becoming common practice to characterize the system's point spread function (PSF) and understand its variation under spatial transformations to guide clinical studies and potentially use it within resolution recovery image reconstruction algorithms. Furthermore, due to the system's utilization of overlapping and spherical symmetric Kaiser-Bessel basis functions during image reconstruction, its image space PSF and reconstructed spatial resolution could be affected by the selection of the basis function parameters. Hence, a detailed investigation into the multidimensional basis function parameter space is needed to evaluate the impact of these parameters on spatial resolution. Methods: Using an array of 12 × 7 printed point sources, along with a custom made phantom, and with the MR magnet on, the system's spatially variant image-based PSF was characterized in detail. Moreover, basis function parameters were systematically varied during reconstruction (list-mode TF OSEM) to evaluate their impact on the reconstructed resolution and the image space PSF. Following the spatial resolution optimization, phantom, and clinical studies were subsequently reconstructed using representative basis function parameters. Results: Based on the analysis and under standard basis function parameters, the axial and tangential components of the PSF were found to be almost invariant under spatial transformations (∼4 mm) while the radial component varied modestly from 4 to 6.7 mm. Using a systematic investigation into the basis function parameter space, the spatial resolution was found to degrade for basis functions with a large radius and small shape parameter. However, it was found that optimizing the spatial resolution in the reconstructed PET images, while having a good basis function

Experimental evaluation and basis function optimization of the spatially variant image-space PSF on the Ingenuity PET/MR scanner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotasidis, Fotis A., E-mail: Fotis.Kotasidis@unige.ch [Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Geneva University Hospital, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland and Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, MAHSC, University of Manchester, Manchester M20 3LJ (United Kingdom); Zaidi, Habib [Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Geneva University Hospital, CH-1211 Geneva (Switzerland); Geneva Neuroscience Centre, Geneva University, CH-1205 Geneva (Switzerland); Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, 9700 RB (Netherlands)

2014-06-15

Purpose: The Ingenuity time-of-flight (TF) PET/MR is a recently developed hybrid scanner combining the molecular imaging capabilities of PET with the excellent soft tissue contrast of MRI. It is becoming common practice to characterize the system's point spread function (PSF) and understand its variation under spatial transformations to guide clinical studies and potentially use it within resolution recovery image reconstruction algorithms. Furthermore, due to the system's utilization of overlapping and spherical symmetric Kaiser-Bessel basis functions during image reconstruction, its image space PSF and reconstructed spatial resolution could be affected by the selection of the basis function parameters. Hence, a detailed investigation into the multidimensional basis function parameter space is needed to evaluate the impact of these parameters on spatial resolution. Methods: Using an array of 12 × 7 printed point sources, along with a custom made phantom, and with the MR magnet on, the system's spatially variant image-based PSF was characterized in detail. Moreover, basis function parameters were systematically varied during reconstruction (list-mode TF OSEM) to evaluate their impact on the reconstructed resolution and the image space PSF. Following the spatial resolution optimization, phantom, and clinical studies were subsequently reconstructed using representative basis function parameters. Results: Based on the analysis and under standard basis function parameters, the axial and tangential components of the PSF were found to be almost invariant under spatial transformations (∼4 mm) while the radial component varied modestly from 4 to 6.7 mm. Using a systematic investigation into the basis function parameter space, the spatial resolution was found to degrade for basis functions with a large radius and small shape parameter. However, it was found that optimizing the spatial resolution in the reconstructed PET images, while having a good basis

Integrated PET/MR breast cancer imaging: Attenuation correction and implementation of a 16-channel RF coil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oehmigen, Mark, E-mail: mark.oehmigen@uni-due.de; Lindemann, Maike E. [High Field and Hybrid MR Imaging, University Hospital Essen, Essen 45147 (Germany); Lanz, Titus [Rapid Biomedical GmbH, Rimpar 97222 (Germany); Kinner, Sonja [Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen 45147 (Germany); Quick, Harald H. [High Field and Hybrid MR Imaging, University Hospital Essen, Essen 45147, Germany and Erwin L. Hahn Institute for MR Imaging, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen 45141 (Germany)

2016-08-15

Purpose: This study aims to develop, implement, and evaluate a 16-channel radiofrequency (RF) coil for integrated positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging of breast cancer. The RF coil is designed for optimized MR imaging performance and PET transparency and attenuation correction (AC) is applied for accurate PET quantification. Methods: A 16-channel breast array RF coil was designed for integrated PET/MR hybrid imaging of breast cancer lesions. The RF coil features a lightweight rigid design and is positioned with a spacer at a defined position on the patient table of an integrated PET/MR system. Attenuation correction is performed by generating and applying a dedicated 3D CT-based template attenuation map. Reposition accuracy of the RF coil on the system patient table while using the positioning frame was tested in repeated measurements using MR-visible markers. The MR, PET, and PET/MR imaging performances were systematically evaluated using modular breast phantoms. Attenuation correction of the RF coil was evaluated with difference measurements of the active breast phantoms filled with radiotracer in the PET detector with and without the RF coil in place, serving as a standard of reference measurement. The overall PET/MR imaging performance and PET quantification accuracy of the new 16-channel RF coil and its AC were then evaluated in first clinical examinations on ten patients with local breast cancer. Results: The RF breast array coil provides excellent signal-to-noise ratio and signal homogeneity across the volume of the breast phantoms in MR imaging and visualizes small structures in the phantoms down to 0.4 mm in plane. Difference measurements with PET revealed a global loss and thus attenuation of counts by 13% (mean value across the whole phantom volume) when the RF coil is placed in the PET detector. Local attenuation ranging from 0% in the middle of the phantoms up to 24% was detected in the peripheral regions of the phantoms at

Development of compact DOI-measurable PET detectors for simultaneous PET/MR Imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shao, Yiping; Sun, Xishan [University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (United States); Lou, Kai [Rice University (United States)

2015-05-18

It is critically needed yet challenging to develop compact PET detectors with high sensitivity and uniform, high imaging resolution for improving the performance of simultaneous PET/MR imaging, particularly for an integrated/inserted small-bore system. Using the latest “edge-less” SiPM arrays for DOI measurement using the design of dual-ended-scintillator readout, we developed several compact PET detectors suited for PET/MR imaging. Each detector consists of one LYSO array with each end coupled to a SiPM array. Multiple detectors can be seamlessly tiled together along all sides to form a large detector panel. Detectors with 1.5x1.5 and 2.0x2.0 mm crystals at 20 or 30 mm lengths were studied. Readout of individual SiPM or capacitor-based signal multiplexing was used to transfer 3D interaction position-coded analog signals through flexible-print-circuit cables to dedicated ASIC frontend electronics to output digital timing pulses that encode interaction information. These digital pulses can be transferred to, through standard LVDS cables, and decoded by a FPGA-based data acquisition positioned outside the MRI scanner for coincidence event selection. Initial detector performance measurement shows excellent crystal identification even with 30 mm long crystals, ~18% and 2.8 ns energy and timing resolutions, and around 2-3 mm DOI resolution. A large size detector panel can be scaled up with these modular detectors and different PET systems can be flexibly configured with the scalable readout electronics and data acquisition, providing an important design advantage for different system and application requirements. It is expected that standard shielding of detectors, electronics and signal transfer lines can be applied for simultaneous PET/MR imaging applications, with desired DOI measurement capability to enhance the PET performance and image quality.

Development of compact DOI-measurable PET detectors for simultaneous PET/MR Imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao, Yiping; Sun, Xishan; Lou, Kai

2015-01-01

It is critically needed yet challenging to develop compact PET detectors with high sensitivity and uniform, high imaging resolution for improving the performance of simultaneous PET/MR imaging, particularly for an integrated/inserted small-bore system. Using the latest “edge-less” SiPM arrays for DOI measurement using the design of dual-ended-scintillator readout, we developed several compact PET detectors suited for PET/MR imaging. Each detector consists of one LYSO array with each end coupled to a SiPM array. Multiple detectors can be seamlessly tiled together along all sides to form a large detector panel. Detectors with 1.5x1.5 and 2.0x2.0 mm crystals at 20 or 30 mm lengths were studied. Readout of individual SiPM or capacitor-based signal multiplexing was used to transfer 3D interaction position-coded analog signals through flexible-print-circuit cables to dedicated ASIC frontend electronics to output digital timing pulses that encode interaction information. These digital pulses can be transferred to, through standard LVDS cables, and decoded by a FPGA-based data acquisition positioned outside the MRI scanner for coincidence event selection. Initial detector performance measurement shows excellent crystal identification even with 30 mm long crystals, ~18% and 2.8 ns energy and timing resolutions, and around 2-3 mm DOI resolution. A large size detector panel can be scaled up with these modular detectors and different PET systems can be flexibly configured with the scalable readout electronics and data acquisition, providing an important design advantage for different system and application requirements. It is expected that standard shielding of detectors, electronics and signal transfer lines can be applied for simultaneous PET/MR imaging applications, with desired DOI measurement capability to enhance the PET performance and image quality.

FDG PET/MR for lymph node staging in head and neck cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Platzek, Ivan, E-mail: ivan.platzek@uniklinikum-dresden.de [Dresden University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Beuthien-Baumann, Bettina, E-mail: bettina.beuthien-baumann3@uniklinikum-dresden.de [Dresden University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Schneider, Matthias, E-mail: m.schneider@mkgdresden.de [Dresden University Hospital, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Gudziol, Volker, E-mail: volker.gudziol@uniklinikum-dresden.de [Dresden University Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Kitzler, Hagen H., E-mail: hagen.kitzler@uniklinikum-dresden.de [Dresden University Hospital, Department of Neuroradiology, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Maus, Jens, E-mail: j.maus@hzdr.de [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Schramm, Georg, E-mail: g.schramm@hzdr.de [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Popp, Manuel, E-mail: manuel.popp@praxisklinik-dresden.de [Dresden University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Laniado, Michael, E-mail: michael.laniado@uniklinikum-dresden.de [Dresden University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Kotzerke, Jörg, E-mail: Joerg.Kotzerke@uniklinikum-dresden.de [Dresden University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Hoff, Jörg van den, E-mail: j.van_den_hoff@hzdr.de [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany)

2014-07-15

Objective: To assess the diagnostic value of PET/MR (positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging) with FDG (18F-fluorodeoxyglucose) for lymph node staging in head and neck cancer. Materials and methods: This prospective study was approved by the local ethics committee; all patients signed informed consent. Thirty-eight patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region underwent a PET scan on a conventional scanner and a subsequent PET/MR on a whole-body hybrid system after a single intravenous injection of FDG. The accuracy of PET, MR and PET/MR for lymph node metastases were compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Histology served as the reference standard. Results: Metastatic disease was confirmed in 16 (42.1%) of 38 patients and 38 (9.7%) of 391 dissected lymph node levels. There were no significant differences between PET/MR, MR and PET and MR (p > 0.05) regarding accuracy for cervical metastatic disease. Based on lymph node levels, sensitivity and specificity for metastatic involvement were 65.8% and 97.2% for MR, 86.8% and 97.0% for PET and 89.5% and 95.2% for PET/MR. Conclusions: In head and neck cancer, FDG PET/MR does not significantly improve accuracy for cervical lymph node metastases in comparison to MR or PET.

Adapting MR-BrainPET scans for comparison with conventional PET: experiences with dynamic FET-PET in brain tumours

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lohmann, Philipp; Herzog, Hans; Kops, Elena Rota; Stoffels, Gabriele; Filss, Christian [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3,-4,-5), Forschungszentrum Juelich, Juelich (Germany); Galldiks, Norbert [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3,-4,-5), Forschungszentrum Juelich, Juelich (Germany); Department of Neurology, University of Cologne, Cologne (Germany); Coenen, Heinrich H; Shah, N Jon; Langen, Karl-Josef [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3,-4,-5), Forschungszentrum Juelich, Juelich (Germany)

2014-07-29

Imaging results from subsequent measurements (preclinical 3T MR-BrainPET, HR+) are compared. O-(2-[{sup 18}F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (FET) may exhibit non-uniform tracer uptake in gliomas. The aim was to analyse and adapt the physical properties of the scanners and study variations of biological tumour volume (BTV) in early and late FET-PET.

PET attenuation correction for rigid MR Tx/Rx coils from 176Lu background activity

Science.gov (United States)

Lerche, Christoph W.; Kaltsas, Theodoris; Caldeira, Liliana; Scheins, Jürgen; Rota Kops, Elena; Tellmann, Lutz; Pietrzyk, Uwe; Herzog, Hans; Shah, N. Jon

2018-02-01

One challenge for PET-MR hybrid imaging is the correction for attenuation of the 511 keV annihilation radiation by the required RF transmit and/or RF receive coils. Although there are strategies for building PET transparent Tx/Rx coils, such optimised coils still cause significant attenuation of the annihilation radiation leading to artefacts and biases in the reconstructed activity concentrations. We present a straightforward method to measure the attenuation of Tx/Rx coils in simultaneous MR-PET imaging based on the natural 176Lu background contained in the scintillator of the PET detector without the requirement of an external CT scanner or PET scanner with transmission source. The method was evaluated on a prototype 3T MR-BrainPET produced by Siemens Healthcare GmbH, both with phantom studies and with true emission images from patient/volunteer examinations. Furthermore, the count rate stability of the PET scanner and the x-ray properties of the Tx/Rx head coil were investigated. Even without energy extrapolation from the two dominant γ energies of 176Lu to 511 keV, the presented method for attenuation correction, based on the measurement of 176Lu background attenuation, shows slightly better performance than the coil attenuation correction currently used. The coil attenuation correction currently used is based on an external transmission scan with rotating 68Ge sources acquired on a Siemens ECAT HR  +  PET scanner. However, the main advantage of the presented approach is its straightforwardness and ready availability without the need for additional accessories.

An SPM8-based Approach for Attenuation Correction Combining Segmentation and Non-rigid Template Formation: Application to Simultaneous PET/MR Brain Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Hansen, Adam E.; Förster, Stefan; Benoit, Didier; Schachoff, Sylvia; Fürst, Sebastian; Chen, Kevin T.; Chonde, Daniel B.; Catana, Ciprian

2014-01-01

We present an approach for head MR-based attenuation correction (MR-AC) based on the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM8) software that combines segmentation- and atlas-based features to provide a robust technique to generate attenuation maps (µ-maps) from MR data in integrated PET/MR scanners. Methods Coregistered anatomical MR and CT images acquired in 15 glioblastoma subjects were used to generate the templates. The MR images from these subjects were first segmented into 6 tissue classes (gray and white matter, cerebro-spinal fluid, bone and soft tissue, and air), which were then non-rigidly coregistered using a diffeomorphic approach. A similar procedure was used to coregister the anatomical MR data for a new subject to the template. Finally, the CT-like images obtained by applying the inverse transformations were converted to linear attenuation coefficients (LACs) to be used for AC of PET data. The method was validated on sixteen new subjects with brain tumors (N=12) or mild cognitive impairment (N=4) who underwent CT and PET/MR scans. The µ-maps and corresponding reconstructed PET images were compared to those obtained using the gold standard CT-based approach and the Dixon-based method available on the Siemens Biograph mMR scanner. Relative change (RC) images were generated in each case and voxel- and region of interest (ROI)-based analyses were performed. Results The leave-one-out cross-validation analysis of the data from the 15 atlas-generation subjects showed small errors in brain LACs (RC=1.38%±4.52%) compared to the gold standard. Similar results (RC=1.86±4.06%) were obtained from the analysis of the atlas-validation datasets. The voxel- and ROI-based analysis of the corresponding reconstructed PET images revealed quantification errors of 3.87±5.0% and 2.74±2.28%, respectively. The Dixon-based method performed substantially worse (the mean RC values were 13.0±10.25% and 9.38±4.97%, respectively). Areas closer to skull showed the largest

Brain PET and functional MRI: why simultaneously using hybrid PET/MR systems?

Science.gov (United States)

Cecchin, Diego; Palombit, Alessandro; Castellaro, Marco; Silvestri, Erica; Bui, Franco; Barthel, Henryk; Sabri, Osama; Corbetta, Maurizio; Bertoldo, Alessandra

2017-12-01

In the last 20 years growing attention has been devoted to multimodal imaging. The recent literature is rich of clinical and research studies that have been performed using different imaging modalities on both separate and integrated positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR) scanners. However, today, hybrid PET/MR systems measure signals related to brain structure, metabolism, neurochemistry, perfusion, and neuronal activity simultaneously, i.e. in the same physiological conditions. A frequently raised question at meeting and symposia is: "Do we really need a hybrid PET/MR system? Are there any advantages over acquiring sequential and separate PET and MR scans?" The present paper is an attempt to answer these questions specifically in relation to PET combined with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and arterial spin labeling. We searched (last update: June 2017) the databases PubMed, PMC, Google Scholar and Medline. We also included additional studies if they were cited in the selected articles. No language restriction was applied to the search, but the reviewed articles were all in English. Among all the retrieved articles, we selected only those performed using a hybrid PET/MR system. We found a total of 17 papers that were selected and discussed in three main groups according to the main radiopharmaceutical used: 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) (N.=8), 15O-water (15O-H2O) (N.=3) and neuroreceptors (N.=6). Concerning studies using 18F-FDG, simultaneous PET/fMRI revealed that global aspects of functional organization (e.g. graph properties of functional connections) are partially associated with energy consumption. There are remarkable spatial and functional similarities across modalities, but also discrepant findings. More work is needed on this point. There are only a handful of papers comparing blood flow measurements with PET 15O-H2O and MR arterial spin label (ASL) measures, and they show significant regional CBF differences

Evaluation of PET and MR datasets in integrated 18F-FDG PET/MRI: A comparison of different MR sequences for whole-body restaging of breast cancer patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grueneisen, Johannes; Sawicki, Lino Morris; Wetter, Axel; Kirchner, Julian; Kinner, Sonja; Aktas, Bahriye; Forsting, Michael; Ruhlmann, Verena; Umutlu, Lale

2017-01-01

Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic value of different MR sequences and 18F-FDG PET data for whole-body restaging of breast cancer patients utilizing PET/MRI. Methods: A total of 36 patients with suspected tumor recurrence of breast cancer based on clinical follow-up or abnormal findings in follow-up examinations (e.g. CT, MRI) were prospectively enrolled in this study. All patients underwent a PET/CT and subsequently an additional PET/MR scan. Two readers were instructed to identify the occurrence of a tumor relapse in subsequent MR and PET/MR readings, utilizing different MR sequence constellations for each session. The diagnostic confidence for the determination of a malignant or benign lesion was qualitatively rated (3-point ordinal scale) for each lesion in the different reading sessions and the lesion conspicuity (4-point ordinal scale) for the three different MR sequences was additionally evaluated. Results: Tumor recurrence was present in 25/36 (69%) patients. All three PET/MRI readings showed a significantly higher accuracy as well as higher confidence levels for the detection of recurrent breast cancer lesions when compared to MRI alone (p < 0.05). Furthermore, all three PET/MR sequence constellations showed comparable diagnostic accuracy for the identification of a breast cancer recurrence (p > 0.05), yet the highest confidence levels were obtained, when all three MR sequences were used for image interpretation. Moreover, contrast-enhanced T1-weighted VIBE imaging showed significantly higher values for the delineation of malignant and benign lesions when compared to T2 w HASTE and diffusion-weighted imaging. Conclusion: Integrated PET/MRI provides superior restaging of breast cancer patients over MRI alone. Facing the need for appropriate and efficient whole-body PET/MR protocols, our results show the feasibility of fast and morphologically adequate PET/MR protocols. However, considering an equivalent accuracy for the detection of breast cancer

Evaluation of PET and MR datasets in integrated 18F-FDG PET/MRI: A comparison of different MR sequences for whole-body restaging of breast cancer patients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grueneisen, Johannes, E-mail: Johannes.grueneisen@uk-essen.de [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45147 Essen (Germany); Sawicki, Lino Morris [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital, Dusseldorf, University of Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Wetter, Axel [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45147 Essen (Germany); Kirchner, Julian [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital, Dusseldorf, University of Dusseldorf, D-40225 Dusseldorf (Germany); Kinner, Sonja [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45147 Essen (Germany); Aktas, Bahriye [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45147 Essen (Germany); Forsting, Michael [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45147 Essen (Germany); Ruhlmann, Verena [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45147 Essen (Germany); Umutlu, Lale [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45147 Essen (Germany)

2017-04-15

Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic value of different MR sequences and 18F-FDG PET data for whole-body restaging of breast cancer patients utilizing PET/MRI. Methods: A total of 36 patients with suspected tumor recurrence of breast cancer based on clinical follow-up or abnormal findings in follow-up examinations (e.g. CT, MRI) were prospectively enrolled in this study. All patients underwent a PET/CT and subsequently an additional PET/MR scan. Two readers were instructed to identify the occurrence of a tumor relapse in subsequent MR and PET/MR readings, utilizing different MR sequence constellations for each session. The diagnostic confidence for the determination of a malignant or benign lesion was qualitatively rated (3-point ordinal scale) for each lesion in the different reading sessions and the lesion conspicuity (4-point ordinal scale) for the three different MR sequences was additionally evaluated. Results: Tumor recurrence was present in 25/36 (69%) patients. All three PET/MRI readings showed a significantly higher accuracy as well as higher confidence levels for the detection of recurrent breast cancer lesions when compared to MRI alone (p < 0.05). Furthermore, all three PET/MR sequence constellations showed comparable diagnostic accuracy for the identification of a breast cancer recurrence (p > 0.05), yet the highest confidence levels were obtained, when all three MR sequences were used for image interpretation. Moreover, contrast-enhanced T1-weighted VIBE imaging showed significantly higher values for the delineation of malignant and benign lesions when compared to T2 w HASTE and diffusion-weighted imaging. Conclusion: Integrated PET/MRI provides superior restaging of breast cancer patients over MRI alone. Facing the need for appropriate and efficient whole-body PET/MR protocols, our results show the feasibility of fast and morphologically adequate PET/MR protocols. However, considering an equivalent accuracy for the detection of breast cancer

Multimodal imaging utilising integrated MR-PET for human brain tumour assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuner, Irene; Kaffanke, Joachim B.; Langen, Karl-Josef; Kops, Elena Rota; Tellmann, Lutz; Stoffels, Gabriele; Weirich, Christoph; Filss, Christian; Scheins, Juergen; Herzog, Hans; Shah, N. Jon

2012-01-01

The development of integrated magnetic resonance (MR)-positron emission tomography (PET) hybrid imaging opens up new horizons for imaging in neuro-oncology. In cerebral gliomas the definition of tumour extent may be difficult to ascertain using standard MR imaging (MRI) only. The differentiation of post-therapeutic scar tissue, tumour rests and tumour recurrence is challenging. The relationship to structures such as the pyramidal tract to the tumour mass influences the therapeutic neurosurgical approach. The diagnostic information may be enriched by sophisticated MR techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), multiple-volume proton MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) and functional MRI (fMRI). Metabolic imaging with PET, especially using amino acid tracers such as 18 F-fluoroethyl-l-tyrosine (FET) or 11 C-l-methionine (MET) will indicate tumour extent and response to treatment. The new technologies comprising MR-PET hybrid systems have the advantage of providing comprehensive answers by a one-stop-job of 40-50 min. The combined approach provides data of different modalities using the same iso-centre, resulting in optimal spatial and temporal realignment. All images are acquired exactly under the same physiological conditions. We describe the imaging protocol in detail and provide patient examples for the different imaging modalities such as FET-PET, standard structural imaging (T1-weighted, T2-weighted, T1-weighted contrast agent enhanced), DTI, MRSI and fMRI. (orig.)

Multimodal imaging utilising integrated MR-PET for human brain tumour assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neuner, Irene [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM 4, Juelich (Germany); RWTH Aachen University, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Aachen (Germany); JARA-BRAIN-Translational Medicine, Aachen (Germany); Kaffanke, Joachim B. [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM 4, Juelich (Germany); MR-Transfer e.K., Wuppertal (Germany); Langen, Karl-Josef; Kops, Elena Rota; Tellmann, Lutz; Stoffels, Gabriele; Weirich, Christoph; Filss, Christian; Scheins, Juergen; Herzog, Hans [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM 4, Juelich (Germany); Shah, N. Jon [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM 4, Juelich (Germany); RWTH Aachen University, Department of Neurology, Aachen (Germany); JARA-BRAIN-Translational Medicine, Aachen (Germany)

2012-12-15

The development of integrated magnetic resonance (MR)-positron emission tomography (PET) hybrid imaging opens up new horizons for imaging in neuro-oncology. In cerebral gliomas the definition of tumour extent may be difficult to ascertain using standard MR imaging (MRI) only. The differentiation of post-therapeutic scar tissue, tumour rests and tumour recurrence is challenging. The relationship to structures such as the pyramidal tract to the tumour mass influences the therapeutic neurosurgical approach. The diagnostic information may be enriched by sophisticated MR techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), multiple-volume proton MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) and functional MRI (fMRI). Metabolic imaging with PET, especially using amino acid tracers such as {sup 18}F-fluoroethyl-l-tyrosine (FET) or {sup 11}C-l-methionine (MET) will indicate tumour extent and response to treatment. The new technologies comprising MR-PET hybrid systems have the advantage of providing comprehensive answers by a one-stop-job of 40-50 min. The combined approach provides data of different modalities using the same iso-centre, resulting in optimal spatial and temporal realignment. All images are acquired exactly under the same physiological conditions. We describe the imaging protocol in detail and provide patient examples for the different imaging modalities such as FET-PET, standard structural imaging (T1-weighted, T2-weighted, T1-weighted contrast agent enhanced), DTI, MRSI and fMRI. (orig.)

Evaluation of PET and MR datasets in integrated 18F-FDG PET/MRI: A comparison of different MR sequences for whole-body restaging of breast cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Grueneisen, Johannes; Sawicki, Lino Morris; Wetter, Axel; Kirchner, Julian; Kinner, Sonja; Aktas, Bahriye; Forsting, Michael; Ruhlmann, Verena; Umutlu, Lale

2017-04-01

To investigate the diagnostic value of different MR sequences and 18F-FDG PET data for whole-body restaging of breast cancer patients utilizing PET/MRI. A total of 36 patients with suspected tumor recurrence of breast cancer based on clinical follow-up or abnormal findings in follow-up examinations (e.g. CT, MRI) were prospectively enrolled in this study. All patients underwent a PET/CT and subsequently an additional PET/MR scan. Two readers were instructed to identify the occurrence of a tumor relapse in subsequent MR and PET/MR readings, utilizing different MR sequence constellations for each session. The diagnostic confidence for the determination of a malignant or benign lesion was qualitatively rated (3-point ordinal scale) for each lesion in the different reading sessions and the lesion conspicuity (4-point ordinal scale) for the three different MR sequences was additionally evaluated. Tumor recurrence was present in 25/36 (69%) patients. All three PET/MRI readings showed a significantly higher accuracy as well as higher confidence levels for the detection of recurrent breast cancer lesions when compared to MRI alone (psequence constellations showed comparable diagnostic accuracy for the identification of a breast cancer recurrence (p>0.05), yet the highest confidence levels were obtained, when all three MR sequences were used for image interpretation. Moreover, contrast-enhanced T1-weighted VIBE imaging showed significantly higher values for the delineation of malignant and benign lesions when compared to T2w HASTE and diffusion-weighted imaging. Integrated PET/MRI provides superior restaging of breast cancer patients over MRI alone. Facing the need for appropriate and efficient whole-body PET/MR protocols, our results show the feasibility of fast and morphologically adequate PET/MR protocols. However, considering an equivalent accuracy for the detection of breast cancer recurrences in the three PET/MR readings, the application of contrast-agent and the

An SPM8-based approach for attenuation correction combining segmentation and nonrigid template formation: application to simultaneous PET/MR brain imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Hansen, Adam E; Förster, Stefan; Benoit, Didier; Schachoff, Sylvia; Fürst, Sebastian; Chen, Kevin T; Chonde, Daniel B; Catana, Ciprian

2014-11-01

We present an approach for head MR-based attenuation correction (AC) based on the Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 (SPM8) software, which combines segmentation- and atlas-based features to provide a robust technique to generate attenuation maps (μ maps) from MR data in integrated PET/MR scanners. Coregistered anatomic MR and CT images of 15 glioblastoma subjects were used to generate the templates. The MR images from these subjects were first segmented into 6 tissue classes (gray matter, white matter, cerebrospinal fluid, bone, soft tissue, and air), which were then nonrigidly coregistered using a diffeomorphic approach. A similar procedure was used to coregister the anatomic MR data for a new subject to the template. Finally, the CT-like images obtained by applying the inverse transformations were converted to linear attenuation coefficients to be used for AC of PET data. The method was validated on 16 new subjects with brain tumors (n = 12) or mild cognitive impairment (n = 4) who underwent CT and PET/MR scans. The μ maps and corresponding reconstructed PET images were compared with those obtained using the gold standard CT-based approach and the Dixon-based method available on the Biograph mMR scanner. Relative change (RC) images were generated in each case, and voxel- and region-of-interest-based analyses were performed. The leave-one-out cross-validation analysis of the data from the 15 atlas-generation subjects showed small errors in brain linear attenuation coefficients (RC, 1.38% ± 4.52%) compared with the gold standard. Similar results (RC, 1.86% ± 4.06%) were obtained from the analysis of the atlas-validation datasets. The voxel- and region-of-interest-based analysis of the corresponding reconstructed PET images revealed quantification errors of 3.87% ± 5.0% and 2.74% ± 2.28%, respectively. The Dixon-based method performed substantially worse (the mean RC values were 13.0% ± 10.25% and 9.38% ± 4.97%, respectively). Areas closer to the skull showed

Comparison of {sup 18}F-FET PET and perfusion-weighted MRI for glioma grading. A hybrid PET/MR study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verger, Antoine [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); Lorraine University, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Nancyclotep Imaging Platform, CHRU Nancy, Nancy (France); Lorraine University, IADI, INSERM, UMR 947, Nancy (France); Filss, Christian P. [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Aachen (Germany); Lohmann, Philipp; Stoffels, Gabriele; Rota Kops, Elena [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); Sabel, Michael [University of Duesseldorf, Department of Neurosurgery, Duesseldorf (Germany); Wittsack, Hans J. [University Duesseldorf, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Duesseldorf (Germany); Galldiks, Norbert; Fink, Gereon R. [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); University of Cologne, Department of Neurology, Cologne (Germany); University of Cologne and Bonn, Center of Integrated Oncology (CIO), Bonn (Germany); Shah, Nadim J. [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Department of Neurology, Aachen (Germany); Juelich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA), Section JARA-Brain, Juelich (Germany); Langen, Karl-Josef [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Aachen (Germany); Juelich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA), Section JARA-Brain, Juelich (Germany)

2017-12-15

Both perfusion-weighted MR imaging (PWI) and O-(2-{sup 18}F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine PET ({sup 18}F-FET) provide grading information in cerebral gliomas. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI for tumor grading in a series of patients with newly diagnosed, untreated gliomas using an integrated PET/MR scanner. Seventy-two patients with untreated gliomas [22 low-grade gliomas (LGG), and 50 high-grade gliomas (HGG)] were investigated with {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI using a hybrid PET/MR scanner. After visual inspection of PET and PWI maps (rCBV, rCBF, MTT), volumes of interest (VOIs) with a diameter of 16 mm were centered upon the maximum of abnormality in the tumor area in each modality and the contralateral unaffected hemisphere. Mean and maximum tumor-to-brain ratios (TBR{sub mean}, TBR{sub max}) were calculated. In addition, Time-to-Peak (TTP) and slopes of time-activity curves were calculated for {sup 18}F-FET PET. Diagnostic accuracies of {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI for differentiating low-grade glioma (LGG) from high-grade glioma (HGG) were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic analyses (area under the curve; AUC). The diagnostic accuracy of {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI to discriminate LGG from HGG was similar with highest AUC values for TBR{sub mean} and TBR{sub max} of {sup 18}F-FET PET uptake (0.80, 0.83) and for TBR{sub mean} and TBR{sub max} of rCBV (0.80, 0.81). In case of increased signal in the tumor area with both methods (n = 32), local hot-spots were incongruent in 25 patients (78%) with a mean distance of 10.6 ± 9.5 mm. Dynamic FET PET and combination of different parameters did not further improve diagnostic accuracy. Both {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI discriminate LGG from HGG with similar diagnostic performance. Regional abnormalities in the tumor area are usually not congruent indicating that tumor grading by {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI is based on different pathophysiological phenomena. (orig.)

Development of PET/MRI with insertable PET for simultaneous PET and MR imaging of human brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Jin Ho; Choi, Yong; Jung, Jiwoong; Kim, Sangsu; Lim, Hyun Keong; Im, Ki Chun; Oh, Chang Hyun; Park, Hyun-wook; Kim, Kyung Min; Kim, Jong Guk

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a dual-modality positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with insertable PET for simultaneous PET and MR imaging of the human brain. Methods: The PET detector block was composed of a 4 × 4 matrix of detector modules, each consisting of a 4 × 4 array LYSO coupled to a 4 × 4 Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (GAPD) array. The PET insert consisted of 18 detector blocks, circularly mounted on a custom-made plastic base to form a ring with an inner diameter of 390 mm and axial length of 60 mm. The PET gantry was shielded with gold-plated conductive fabric tapes with a thickness of 0.1 mm. The charge signals of PET detector transferred via 4 m long flat cables were fed into the position decoder circuit. The flat cables were shielded with a mesh-type aluminum sheet with a thickness of 0.24 mm. The position decoder circuit and field programmable gate array-embedded DAQ modules were enclosed in an aluminum box with a thickness of 10 mm and located at the rear of the MR bore inside the MRI room. A 3-T human MRI system with a Larmor frequency of 123.7 MHz and inner bore diameter of 60 cm was used as the PET/MRI hybrid system. A custom-made radio frequency (RF) coil with an inner diameter of 25 cm was fabricated. The PET was positioned between gradient and the RF coils. PET performance was measured outside and inside the MRI scanner using echo planar imaging, spin echo, turbo spin echo, and gradient echo sequences. MRI performance was also evaluated with and without the PET insert. The stability of the newly developed PET insert was evaluated and simultaneous PET and MR images of a brain phantom were acquired. Results: No significant degradation of the PET performance caused by MR was observed when the PET was operated using various MR imaging sequences. The signal-to-noise ratio of MR images was slightly degraded due to the PET insert installed inside the MR bore while the homogeneity was

Development of PET/MRI with insertable PET for simultaneous PET and MR imaging of human brain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Jin Ho; Choi, Yong, E-mail: ychoi.image@gmail.com; Jung, Jiwoong; Kim, Sangsu; Lim, Hyun Keong; Im, Ki Chun [Department of Electronic Engineering, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 121-742 (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Chang Hyun; Park, Hyun-wook [Department of Electrical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kyung Min; Kim, Jong Guk [Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Science, 75 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 139-709 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a dual-modality positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with insertable PET for simultaneous PET and MR imaging of the human brain. Methods: The PET detector block was composed of a 4 × 4 matrix of detector modules, each consisting of a 4 × 4 array LYSO coupled to a 4 × 4 Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (GAPD) array. The PET insert consisted of 18 detector blocks, circularly mounted on a custom-made plastic base to form a ring with an inner diameter of 390 mm and axial length of 60 mm. The PET gantry was shielded with gold-plated conductive fabric tapes with a thickness of 0.1 mm. The charge signals of PET detector transferred via 4 m long flat cables were fed into the position decoder circuit. The flat cables were shielded with a mesh-type aluminum sheet with a thickness of 0.24 mm. The position decoder circuit and field programmable gate array-embedded DAQ modules were enclosed in an aluminum box with a thickness of 10 mm and located at the rear of the MR bore inside the MRI room. A 3-T human MRI system with a Larmor frequency of 123.7 MHz and inner bore diameter of 60 cm was used as the PET/MRI hybrid system. A custom-made radio frequency (RF) coil with an inner diameter of 25 cm was fabricated. The PET was positioned between gradient and the RF coils. PET performance was measured outside and inside the MRI scanner using echo planar imaging, spin echo, turbo spin echo, and gradient echo sequences. MRI performance was also evaluated with and without the PET insert. The stability of the newly developed PET insert was evaluated and simultaneous PET and MR images of a brain phantom were acquired. Results: No significant degradation of the PET performance caused by MR was observed when the PET was operated using various MR imaging sequences. The signal-to-noise ratio of MR images was slightly degraded due to the PET insert installed inside the MR bore while the homogeneity was

Effect of MRI Acoustic Noise on Cerebral FDG Uptake in Simultaneous MR-PET Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Abolmaali, Nasreddin; Arabasz, Grae; Guimaraes, Alexander R.; Catana, Ciprian

2013-01-01

Integrated scanners capable of simultaneous PET and MRI data acquisition are now available for human use. Although the scanners’ manufacturers have made substantial efforts to understand and minimize the mutual electromagnetic interference between the two modalities, the potential physiological inference has not been evaluated. In this work, we have studied the influence of the acoustic noise produced by the MR gradients on brain FDG uptake in the Siemens MR-BrainPET prototype. While particular attention was paid to the primary auditory cortex (PAC), a brain-wide analysis was also performed. Methods The effects of the MR on the PET count rate and image quantification were first investigated in phantoms. Next, ten healthy volunteers underwent two simultaneous FDG-PET/MR scans in the supine position with the FDG injection occurring inside the MR-BrainPET, alternating between a “quiet” (control) environment in which no MR sequences were run during the FDG uptake phase (the first 40 minutes after radiotracer administration) and a “noisy” (test) case in which MR sequences were run for the entire time. Cortical and subcortical regions of interest (ROIs) were derived from the high-resolution morphological MR data using FreeSurfer. The changes in FDG uptake in the FreeSurfer-derived ROIs between the two conditions were analyzed from parametric and static PET images, and on a voxel-by-voxel basis using SPM8 and FreeSurfer. Results Only minimal to no electromagnetic interference was observed for most of the MR sequences tested, with a maximum drop in count rate of 1.5% and a maximum change in the measured activity of 1.1% in the corresponding images. The ROI-based analysis showed statistically significant increases in the right PAC in both the parametric (9.13±4.73%) and static (4.18±2.87%) images. SPM8 analysis showed no statistically significant clusters in any images when a p<0.05 (corrected) was used; however, a p<0.001 (uncorrected) resolved bilateral

A dedicated tool for PET scanner simulations using FLUKA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortega, P.G.; Boehlen, T.T.; Cerutti, F.; Chin, M.P.W.; Ferrari, A.; Mancini, C.; Vlachoudis, V.; Mairani, A.; Sala, Paola R.

2013-06-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a well-established medical imaging technique. It is based on the detection of pairs of annihilation gamma rays from a beta+-emitting radionuclide, usually inoculated in the body via a biologically active molecule. Apart from its wide-spread use for clinical diagnosis, new applications are proposed. This includes notably the usage of PET for treatment monitoring of radiation therapy with protons and ions. PET is currently the only available technique for non-invasive monitoring of ion beam dose delivery, which was tested in several clinical pilot studies. For hadrontherapy, the distribution of positron emitters, produced by the ion beam, can be analyzed to verify the correct treatment delivery. The adaptation of previous PET scanners to new environments and the necessity of more precise diagnostics by better image quality triggered the development of new PET scanner designs. The use of Monte Carlo (MC) codes is essential in the early stages of the scanner design to simulate the transport of particles and nuclear interactions from therapeutic ion beams or radioisotopes and to predict radiation fields in tissues and radiation emerging from the patient. In particular, range verification using PET is based on the comparison of detected and simulated activity distributions. The accuracy of the MC code for the relevant physics processes is obviously essential for such applications. In this work we present new developments of the physics models with importance for PET monitoring and integrated tools for PET scanner simulations for FLUKA, a fully-integrated MC particle-transport code, which is widely used for an extended range of applications (accelerator shielding, detector and target design, calorimetry, activation, dosimetry, medical physics, radiobiology, ...). The developed tools include a PET scanner geometry builder and a dedicated scoring routine for coincident event determination. The geometry builder allows the efficient

MR/PET quantification tools: Registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based attenuation correction

Science.gov (United States)

Fei, Baowei; Yang, Xiaofeng; Nye, Jonathon A.; Aarsvold, John N.; Raghunath, Nivedita; Cervo, Morgan; Stark, Rebecca; Meltzer, Carolyn C.; Votaw, John R.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Combined MR/PET is a relatively new, hybrid imaging modality. A human MR/PET prototype system consisting of a Siemens 3T Trio MR and brain PET insert was installed and tested at our institution. Its present design does not offer measured attenuation correction (AC) using traditional transmission imaging. This study is the development of quantification tools including MR-based AC for quantification in combined MR/PET for brain imaging. Methods: The developed quantification tools include image registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC. These components were integrated into a single scheme for processing MR/PET data. The segmentation method is multiscale and based on the Radon transform of brain MR images. It was developed to segment the skull on T1-weighted MR images. A modified fuzzy C-means classification scheme was developed to classify brain tissue into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. Classified tissue is assigned an attenuation coefficient so that AC factors can be generated. PET emission data are then reconstructed using a three-dimensional ordered sets expectation maximization method with the MR-based AC map. Ten subjects had separate MR and PET scans. The PET with [11C]PIB was acquired using a high-resolution research tomography (HRRT) PET. MR-based AC was compared with transmission (TX)-based AC on the HRRT. Seventeen volumes of interest were drawn manually on each subject image to compare the PET activities between the MR-based and TX-based AC methods. Results: For skull segmentation, the overlap ratio between our segmented results and the ground truth is 85.2 ± 2.6%. Attenuation correction results from the ten subjects show that the difference between the MR and TX-based methods was <6.5%. Conclusions: MR-based AC compared favorably with conventional transmission-based AC. Quantitative tools including registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC have been developed for use in combined MR/PET

MR/PET quantification tools: Registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based attenuation correction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fei, Baowei, E-mail: bfei@emory.edu [Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 1841 Clifton Road Northeast, Atlanta, Georgia 30329 (United States); Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 (United States); Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 (United States); Yang, Xiaofeng; Nye, Jonathon A.; Raghunath, Nivedita; Votaw, John R. [Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329 (United States); Aarsvold, John N. [Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329 (United States); Nuclear Medicine Service, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia 30033 (United States); Cervo, Morgan; Stark, Rebecca [The Medical Physics Graduate Program in the George W. Woodruff School, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (United States); Meltzer, Carolyn C. [Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329 (United States); Department of Neurology and Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 (United States)

2012-10-15

Purpose: Combined MR/PET is a relatively new, hybrid imaging modality. A human MR/PET prototype system consisting of a Siemens 3T Trio MR and brain PET insert was installed and tested at our institution. Its present design does not offer measured attenuation correction (AC) using traditional transmission imaging. This study is the development of quantification tools including MR-based AC for quantification in combined MR/PET for brain imaging. Methods: The developed quantification tools include image registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC. These components were integrated into a single scheme for processing MR/PET data. The segmentation method is multiscale and based on the Radon transform of brain MR images. It was developed to segment the skull on T1-weighted MR images. A modified fuzzy C-means classification scheme was developed to classify brain tissue into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. Classified tissue is assigned an attenuation coefficient so that AC factors can be generated. PET emission data are then reconstructed using a three-dimensional ordered sets expectation maximization method with the MR-based AC map. Ten subjects had separate MR and PET scans. The PET with [{sup 11}C]PIB was acquired using a high-resolution research tomography (HRRT) PET. MR-based AC was compared with transmission (TX)-based AC on the HRRT. Seventeen volumes of interest were drawn manually on each subject image to compare the PET activities between the MR-based and TX-based AC methods. Results: For skull segmentation, the overlap ratio between our segmented results and the ground truth is 85.2 ± 2.6%. Attenuation correction results from the ten subjects show that the difference between the MR and TX-based methods was <6.5%. Conclusions: MR-based AC compared favorably with conventional transmission-based AC. Quantitative tools including registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC have been developed for use in combined MR/PET.

MR/PET quantification tools: Registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based attenuation correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fei, Baowei; Yang, Xiaofeng; Nye, Jonathon A.; Raghunath, Nivedita; Votaw, John R.; Aarsvold, John N.; Cervo, Morgan; Stark, Rebecca; Meltzer, Carolyn C.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Combined MR/PET is a relatively new, hybrid imaging modality. A human MR/PET prototype system consisting of a Siemens 3T Trio MR and brain PET insert was installed and tested at our institution. Its present design does not offer measured attenuation correction (AC) using traditional transmission imaging. This study is the development of quantification tools including MR-based AC for quantification in combined MR/PET for brain imaging. Methods: The developed quantification tools include image registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC. These components were integrated into a single scheme for processing MR/PET data. The segmentation method is multiscale and based on the Radon transform of brain MR images. It was developed to segment the skull on T1-weighted MR images. A modified fuzzy C-means classification scheme was developed to classify brain tissue into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. Classified tissue is assigned an attenuation coefficient so that AC factors can be generated. PET emission data are then reconstructed using a three-dimensional ordered sets expectation maximization method with the MR-based AC map. Ten subjects had separate MR and PET scans. The PET with ["1"1C]PIB was acquired using a high-resolution research tomography (HRRT) PET. MR-based AC was compared with transmission (TX)-based AC on the HRRT. Seventeen volumes of interest were drawn manually on each subject image to compare the PET activities between the MR-based and TX-based AC methods. Results: For skull segmentation, the overlap ratio between our segmented results and the ground truth is 85.2 ± 2.6%. Attenuation correction results from the ten subjects show that the difference between the MR and TX-based methods was <6.5%. Conclusions: MR-based AC compared favorably with conventional transmission-based AC. Quantitative tools including registration, segmentation, classification, and MR-based AC have been developed for use in combined MR/PET.

Initial experience on protocol optimization for integrated PET/MR%PET/MR一体机操作优化的初步经验

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

刘家金; 陈英茂; 张雄伟; 富丽萍; 田嘉禾; 尹大一; 徐白萱

2014-01-01

目的 通过比较PET/CT和PET/MR,初步探索PET/MR一体机的操作流程和成像优化方案.方法 228例患者同日内接受PET/CT和PET/MR检查,通过6种不同MR序列与PET采集组合方案,比较图像质量的优劣,以在保证诊断信息基础上缩短患者扫描时间的原则分析判断,并初步确定最优PET/MR一体机采集方案.结果 PET/MR结果与PET/CT相近,但其操作流程和注意事项有独特之处;在6种方案中,以躯干和头部各有独立序列组合、兼顾各向同性结构显示与突出病灶特点的方案6效果最优;PET/MR比PET/CT更易产生伪影.结论 在优化方案基础上,PET/MR可获得与PET/CT一致的诊断级图像,但PET/MR采集时间长、伪影多,有待进一步完善.%Objective To investigate the optimal workflow and protocol for integrated PET/MR by comparison with PET/CT.Methods A total of 228 patients were enrolled in this study for PET/CT and PET/MR evaluation on the same day.Six PET/MR protocols with different MR sequences but the same PET acquisition protocol were investigated and the optimal protocol was identified based on image quality,acquisition time and diagnostic performance.Results PET/MR workflow was similar to PET/CT,however,some special issues needed to be considered for PET/MR.Among the 6 protocols,protocol No.6 outperformed others for body and head regions.Types of artifacts were found more often in PET/MR than in PET/CT.Conclusions By optimizing the protocol,PET/MR could achieve almost the same diagnostic performance as PET/CT.However,the issues of long acquisition time and artifacts on PET/MR need to be further improved.

Value of new MR techniques in MR-PET; Stellenwert neuer MR-Techniken in der MR-PET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Attenberger, U.I.; Schoenberg, S.O. [Universitaetsmedizin Mannheim, Medizinische Fakultaet Mannheim der Universitaet Heidelberg, Institut fuer klinische Radiologie und Nuklearmedizin, Mannheim (Germany); Quick, H.H. [Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Institut fuer Medizinische Physik, Erlangen (Germany); Guimaraes, A. [Massachusetts General Hospital, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Charlestown (United States); Catalano, O. [University of Naples Federico II, Naples (Italy); Morelli, J.N. [The Johns Hopkins Hospital, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Baltimore (United States)

2013-12-15

The unparalleled soft tissue contrast of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the functional information obtainable with 18-F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) render MR-PET well-suited for oncological and psychiatric imaging. The lack of ionizing radiation with MRI also makes MR-PET a promising modality for oncology patients requiring frequent follow-up and pediatric patients. Lessons learned with PET computed tomography (CT) over the last few years do not directly translate to MR-PET. For example, in PET-CT the Hounsfield units derived from CT are used for attenuation correction (AC). As 511 keV photons emitted in PET examinations are attenuated by the patient's body CT data are converted directly to linear attenuation coefficients (LAC); however, proton density measured by MRI is not directly related to the radiodensity or LACs of biological tissue. Thus, direct conversion to LAC data is not possible making AC more challenging in simultaneous MRI-PET scanning. In addition to these constraints simultaneous MRI-PET acquisitions also improve on some solutions to well-known challenges of hybrid imaging techniques, such as limitations in motion correction. This article reports on initial clinical experiences with simultaneously acquired MRI-PET data, focusing on the potential benefits and limitations of MRI with respect to motion correction as well as metal and attenuation correction artefacts. (orig.) [German] Die klinische Implementierung der neuen Hybridtechnologie MR-Positronenemissionstomographie (MR-PET) bietet durch die Kombination aus hochaufloesender Morphologie, Funktion und Metabolismus bisher ungeahnte diagnostische Moeglichkeiten, die nicht nur fuer die Diagnose und die Verlaufskontrolle onkologischer und psychiatrischer Erkrankungen von hoher Bedeutung sind. Verglichen mit der PET-CT wird dies mit reduzierter Strahlenbelastung fuer den Patienten moeglich, was wiederum insbesondere fuer Patienten in der Tumornachsorge, die

Evaluation of PeneloPET Simulations of Biograph PET/CT Scanners

Science.gov (United States)

Abushab, K. M.; Herraiz, J. L.; Vicente, E.; Cal-González, J.; España, S.; Vaquero, J. J.; Jakoby, B. W.; Udías, J. M.

2016-06-01

Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are widely used in positron emission tomography (PET) for optimizing detector design, acquisition protocols, and evaluating corrections and reconstruction methods. PeneloPET is a MC code based on PENELOPE, for PET simulations which considers detector geometry, acquisition electronics and materials, and source definitions. While PeneloPET has been successfully employed and validated with small animal PET scanners, it required a proper validation with clinical PET scanners including time-of-flight (TOF) information. For this purpose, we chose the family of Biograph PET/CT scanners: the Biograph True-Point (B-TP), Biograph True-Point with TrueV (B-TPTV) and the Biograph mCT. They have similar block detectors and electronics, but a different number of rings and configuration. Some effective parameters of the simulations, such as the dead-time and the size of the reflectors in the detectors, were adjusted to reproduce the sensitivity and noise equivalent count (NEC) rate of the B-TPTV scanner. These parameters were then used to make predictions of experimental results such as sensitivity, NEC rate, spatial resolution, and scatter fraction (SF), from all the Biograph scanners and some variations of them (energy windows and additional rings of detectors). Predictions agree with the measured values for the three scanners, within 7% (sensitivity and NEC rate) and 5% (SF). The resolution obtained for the B-TPTV is slightly better (10%) than the experimental values. In conclusion, we have shown that PeneloPET is suitable for simulating and investigating clinical systems with good accuracy and short computational time, though some effort tuning of a few parameters of the scanners modeled may be needed in case that the full details of the scanners studied are not available.

MR-based attenuation correction in brain PET based on UTE sequences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cabello, Jorge; Nekolla, Stephan G; Ziegler, Sibylle I [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München (Germany)

2014-07-29

Attenuation correction (AC) in brain PET/MR has recently emerged as one of the challenging tasks in the PET/MR field. It has been shown that to ignore the attenuation produced by bone can lead to errors ranging from 5-30% in regions close to bone structures. Since the information provided by the MR signal is not directly related to tissue attenuation, alternative methods have to be developed. Signal from bone tissue is difficult to measure given its short transverse relaxation time (T2). Ultrashort-echo time (UTE) pulse sequences were developed to measure signal from tissues with short T2. A combination of two consecutive UTE echoes has been used in several works to measure signal from bone tissue. The first echo is able to measure signal from bone tissue in addition to soft tissue, while the second echo contains most of the soft tissue contained in the first echo but not bone. In this work we extract the attenuation information from the difference between the logarithm of two images obtained after applying two consecutive UTE pulse sequences using the mMR scanner (Siemens Healthcare). Subsequently, image processing techniques are applied to reduce the noise and extract air cavities within the head. The resulting image is converted to linear attenuation coefficients, generating what is known as µ-map, to be used during reconstruction. For comparison purposes PET/CT scans of the same patients were acquired prior to the PET/MR scan. Additional µ-maps obtained for comparison were extracted from a Dixon sequence (used in clinical routine) and an additional µ-map calculated by the scanner based on UTE pulse sequences. Preliminary quantitative results measured in the cerebellum, using the value obtained with CT-based AC as reference, show differences of 34% without AC, 13% using the Dixon-based and UTE-based provided by the scanner, and 0.8% with the AC strategy presented here.

Bias atlases for segmentation-based PET attenuation correction using PET-CT and MR.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Jinsong; Chun, Se Young; Petibon, Yoann; Bonab, Ali A; Alpert, Nathaniel; Fakhri, Georges El

2013-10-01

This study was to obtain voxel-wise PET accuracy and precision using tissue-segmentation for attenuation correction. We applied multiple thresholds to the CTs of 23 patients to classify tissues. For six of the 23 patients, MR images were also acquired. The MR fat/in-phase ratio images were used for fat segmentation. Segmented tissue classes were used to create attenuation maps, which were used for attenuation correction in PET reconstruction. PET bias images were then computed using the PET reconstructed with the original CT as the reference. We registered the CTs for all the patients and transformed the corresponding bias images accordingly. We then obtained the mean and standard deviation bias atlas using all the registered bias images. Our CT-based study shows that four-class segmentation (air, lungs, fat, other tissues), which is available on most PET-MR scanners, yields 15.1%, 4.1%, 6.6%, and 12.9% RMSE bias in lungs, fat, non-fat soft-tissues, and bones, respectively. An accurate fat identification is achievable using fat/in-phase MR images. Furthermore, we have found that three-class segmentation (air, lungs, other tissues) yields less than 5% standard deviation of bias within the heart, liver, and kidneys. This implies that three-class segmentation can be sufficient to achieve small variation of bias for imaging these three organs. Finally, we have found that inter- and intra-patient lung density variations contribute almost equally to the overall standard deviation of bias within the lungs.

Integrated three-dimensional display of MR, CT, and PET images of the brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levin, D.N.; Herrmann, A.; Chen, G.T.Y.

1988-01-01

MR, CT, and PET studies depict complementary aspects of brain anatomy and function. The authors' own image-processing software and a Pixar image computer were used to create three-dimensional models of brain soft tissues from MR images, of the skull and calcifications from CT scans, and of brain metabolism from PET images. An image correlation program, based on surface fitting, was used for retrospective registration and merging of these three-dimensional models. The results are demonstrated in a video clip showing how the operator may rotate and perform electronic surgery on the integrated, multimodality three-dimensional model of each patient's brain

Comparison of MR-based attenuation correction and CT-based attenuation correction of whole-body PET/MR imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Izquierdo-Garcia, David [Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, New York, NY (United States); Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA (United States); Sawiak, Stephen J. [University of Cambridge, Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Knesaurek, Karin; Machac, Joseph [Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, New York, NY (United States); Narula, Jagat [Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute and Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Cardiovascular Health Center, New York, NY (United States); Fuster, Valentin [Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute and Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Cardiovascular Health Center, New York, NY (United States); The Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid (Spain); Fayad, Zahi A. [Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, New York, NY (United States); Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute and Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Cardiovascular Health Center, New York, NY (United States); Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, New York, NY (United States)

2014-08-15

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the built-in MR-based attenuation correction (MRAC) included in the combined whole-body Ingenuity TF PET/MR scanner and compare it to the performance of CT-based attenuation correction (CTAC) as the gold standard. Included in the study were 26 patients who underwent clinical whole-body FDG PET/CT imaging and subsequently PET/MR imaging (mean delay 100 min). Patients were separated into two groups: the alpha group (14 patients) without MR coils during PET/MR imaging and the beta group (12 patients) with MR coils present (neurovascular, spine, cardiac and torso coils). All images were coregistered to the same space (PET/MR). The two PET images from PET/MR reconstructed using MRAC and CTAC were compared by voxel-based and region-based methods (with ten regions of interest, ROIs). Lesions were also compared by an experienced clinician. Body mass index and lung density showed significant differences between the alpha and beta groups. Right and left lung densities were also significantly different within each group. The percentage differences in uptake values using MRAC in relation to those using CTAC were greater in the beta group than in the alpha group (alpha group -0.2 ± 33.6 %, R{sup 2} = 0.98, p < 0.001; beta group 10.31 ± 69.86 %, R{sup 2} = 0.97, p < 0.001). In comparison to CTAC, MRAC led to underestimation of the PET values by less than 10 % on average, although some ROIs and lesions did differ by more (including the spine, lung and heart). The beta group (imaged with coils present) showed increased overall PET quantification as well as increased variability compared to the alpha group (imaged without coils). PET data reconstructed with MRAC and CTAC showed some differences, mostly in relation to air pockets, metallic implants and attenuation differences in large bone areas (such as the pelvis and spine) due to the segmentation limitation of the MRAC method. (orig.)

Comparison of MR-based attenuation correction and CT-based attenuation correction of whole-body PET/MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Sawiak, Stephen J.; Knesaurek, Karin; Machac, Joseph; Narula, Jagat; Fuster, Valentin; Fayad, Zahi A.

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the built-in MR-based attenuation correction (MRAC) included in the combined whole-body Ingenuity TF PET/MR scanner and compare it to the performance of CT-based attenuation correction (CTAC) as the gold standard. Included in the study were 26 patients who underwent clinical whole-body FDG PET/CT imaging and subsequently PET/MR imaging (mean delay 100 min). Patients were separated into two groups: the alpha group (14 patients) without MR coils during PET/MR imaging and the beta group (12 patients) with MR coils present (neurovascular, spine, cardiac and torso coils). All images were coregistered to the same space (PET/MR). The two PET images from PET/MR reconstructed using MRAC and CTAC were compared by voxel-based and region-based methods (with ten regions of interest, ROIs). Lesions were also compared by an experienced clinician. Body mass index and lung density showed significant differences between the alpha and beta groups. Right and left lung densities were also significantly different within each group. The percentage differences in uptake values using MRAC in relation to those using CTAC were greater in the beta group than in the alpha group (alpha group -0.2 ± 33.6 %, R 2 = 0.98, p 2 = 0.97, p < 0.001). In comparison to CTAC, MRAC led to underestimation of the PET values by less than 10 % on average, although some ROIs and lesions did differ by more (including the spine, lung and heart). The beta group (imaged with coils present) showed increased overall PET quantification as well as increased variability compared to the alpha group (imaged without coils). PET data reconstructed with MRAC and CTAC showed some differences, mostly in relation to air pockets, metallic implants and attenuation differences in large bone areas (such as the pelvis and spine) due to the segmentation limitation of the MRAC method. (orig.)

Specification and estimation of sources of bias affecting neurological studies in PET/MR with an anatomical brain phantom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teuho, J., E-mail: jarmo.teuho@tyks.fi [Turku PET Centre, Turku (Finland); Johansson, J. [Turku PET Centre, Turku (Finland); Linden, J. [Turku PET Centre, Turku (Finland); Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Turku, Turku (Finland); Saunavaara, V.; Tolvanen, T.; Teräs, M. [Turku PET Centre, Turku (Finland)

2014-01-11

Selection of reconstruction parameters has an effect on the image quantification in PET, with an additional contribution from a scanner-specific attenuation correction method. For achieving comparable results in inter- and intra-center comparisons, any existing quantitative differences should be identified and compensated for. In this study, a comparison between PET, PET/CT and PET/MR is performed by using an anatomical brain phantom, to identify and measure the amount of bias caused due to differences in reconstruction and attenuation correction methods especially in PET/MR. Differences were estimated by using visual, qualitative and quantitative analysis. The qualitative analysis consisted of a line profile analysis for measuring the reproduction of anatomical structures and the contribution of the amount of iterations to image contrast. The quantitative analysis consisted of measurement and comparison of 10 anatomical VOIs, where the HRRT was considered as the reference. All scanners reproduced the main anatomical structures of the phantom adequately, although the image contrast on the PET/MR was inferior when using a default clinical brain protocol. Image contrast was improved by increasing the amount of iterations from 2 to 5 while using 33 subsets. Furthermore, a PET/MR-specific bias was detected, which resulted in underestimation of the activity values in anatomical structures closest to the skull, due to the MR-derived attenuation map that ignores the bone. Thus, further improvements for the PET/MR reconstruction and attenuation correction could be achieved by optimization of RAMLA-specific reconstruction parameters and implementation of bone to the attenuation template. -- Highlights: • Comparison between PET, PET/CT and PET/MR was performed with a novel brain phantom. • The performance of reconstruction and attenuation correction in PET/MR was studied. • A recently developed brain phantom was found feasible for PET/MR imaging. • Contrast reduction

Specification and estimation of sources of bias affecting neurological studies in PET/MR with an anatomical brain phantom

Science.gov (United States)

Teuho, J.; Johansson, J.; Linden, J.; Saunavaara, V.; Tolvanen, T.; Teräs, M.

2014-01-01

Selection of reconstruction parameters has an effect on the image quantification in PET, with an additional contribution from a scanner-specific attenuation correction method. For achieving comparable results in inter- and intra-center comparisons, any existing quantitative differences should be identified and compensated for. In this study, a comparison between PET, PET/CT and PET/MR is performed by using an anatomical brain phantom, to identify and measure the amount of bias caused due to differences in reconstruction and attenuation correction methods especially in PET/MR. Differences were estimated by using visual, qualitative and quantitative analysis. The qualitative analysis consisted of a line profile analysis for measuring the reproduction of anatomical structures and the contribution of the amount of iterations to image contrast. The quantitative analysis consisted of measurement and comparison of 10 anatomical VOIs, where the HRRT was considered as the reference. All scanners reproduced the main anatomical structures of the phantom adequately, although the image contrast on the PET/MR was inferior when using a default clinical brain protocol. Image contrast was improved by increasing the amount of iterations from 2 to 5 while using 33 subsets. Furthermore, a PET/MR-specific bias was detected, which resulted in underestimation of the activity values in anatomical structures closest to the skull, due to the MR-derived attenuation map that ignores the bone. Thus, further improvements for the PET/MR reconstruction and attenuation correction could be achieved by optimization of RAMLA-specific reconstruction parameters and implementation of bone to the attenuation template.

Combined PET/MR imaging in neurology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Flemming Littrup; Ladefoged, Claes Nøhr; Beyer, Thomas

2014-01-01

AIM: Combined PET/MR systems have now become available for clinical use. Given the lack of integrated standard transmission (TX) sources in these systems, attenuation and scatter correction (AC) must be performed using the available MR-images. Since bone tissue cannot easily be accounted for duri...

Evaluation of attenuation correction in cardiac PET using PET/MR.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Jeffrey M C; Laforest, R; Sotoudeh, H; Nie, X; Sharma, S; McConathy, J; Novak, E; Priatna, A; Gropler, R J; Woodard, P K

2017-06-01

Simultaneous acquisition Positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) is a new technology that has potential as a tool both in research and clinical diagnosis. However, cardiac PET acquisition has not yet been validated using MR imaging for attenuation correction (AC). The goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of PET imaging using a standard 2-point Dixon volume interpolated breathhold examination (VIBE) MR sequence for AC. Evaluation was performed in both phantom and patient data. A chest phantom containing heart, lungs, and a lesion insert was scanned by both PET/MR and PET/CT. In addition, 30 patients underwent whole-body 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT followed by simultaneous cardiac PET/MR. Phantom study showed 3% reduction of activity values in the myocardium due to the non-inclusion of the phased array coil in the AC. In patient scans, average standardized uptake values (SUVs) obtained by PET/CT and PET/MR showed no significant difference (n = 30, 4.6 ± 3.5 vs 4.7 ± 2.8, P = 0.47). There was excellent per patient correlation between the values acquired by PET/CT and PET/MR (R 2  = 0.97). Myocardial SUVs PET imaging using MR for AC shows excellent correlation with myocardial SUVs obtained by standard PET/CT imaging. The 2-point Dixon VIBE MR technique can be used for AC in simultaneous PET/MR data acquisition.

Basic study of entire whole-body PET scanners based on the OpenPET geometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, Eiji, E-mail: rush@nirs.go.j [National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Yamaya, Taiga; Nishikido, Fumihiko; Inadama, Naoko; Murayama, Hideo [National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan)

2010-09-21

A conventional PET scanner has a 15-25 cm axial field-of-view (FOV) and images a whole body using about six bed positions. An OpenPET geometry can extend the axial FOV with a limited number of detectors. The entire whole-body PET scanner must be able to process a large amount of data effectively. In this work, we study feasibility of the fully 3D entire whole-body PET scanner using the GATE simulation. The OpenPET has 12 block detector rings with the ring diameter of 840 mm and each block detector ring consists of 48 depth-of-interaction (DOI) detectors. The OpenPET has the axial length of 895.95 mm with five parts of 58.95 mm open gaps. The OpenPET has higher single data loss than a conventional PET scanner at grouping circuits. NECR of the OpenPET decreases by single data loss. But single data loss is mitigated by separating the axially arranged detector into two parts. Also, multiple coincidences are found to be important for the entire whole-body PET scanner. The entire whole-body PET scanner with the OpenPET geometry promises to provide a large axial FOV with the open space and to have sufficient performance values. But single data loss at the grouping circuits and multiple coincidences are limited to the peak noise equivalent count rate (NECR) for the entire whole-body PET scanner.

PET motion correction in context of integrated PET/MR: Current techniques, limitations, and future projections.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillman, Ashley; Smith, Jye; Thomas, Paul; Rose, Stephen; Dowson, Nicholas

2017-12-01

Patient motion is an important consideration in modern PET image reconstruction. Advances in PET technology mean motion has an increasingly important influence on resulting image quality. Motion-induced artifacts can have adverse effects on clinical outcomes, including missed diagnoses and oversized radiotherapy treatment volumes. This review aims to summarize the wide variety of motion correction techniques available in PET and combined PET/CT and PET/MR, with a focus on the latter. A general framework for the motion correction of PET images is presented, consisting of acquisition, modeling, and correction stages. Methods for measuring, modeling, and correcting motion and associated artifacts, both in literature and commercially available, are presented, and their relative merits are contrasted. Identified limitations of current methods include modeling of aperiodic and/or unpredictable motion, attaining adequate temporal resolution for motion correction in dynamic kinetic modeling acquisitions, and maintaining availability of the MR in PET/MR scans for diagnostic acquisitions. Finally, avenues for future investigation are discussed, with a focus on improvements that could improve PET image quality, and that are practical in the clinical environment. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Quantitative Evaluation of Atlas-based Attenuation Correction for Brain PET in an Integrated Time-of-Flight PET/MR Imaging System.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jaewon; Jian, Yiqiang; Jenkins, Nathaniel; Behr, Spencer C; Hope, Thomas A; Larson, Peder E Z; Vigneron, Daniel; Seo, Youngho

2017-07-01

Purpose To assess the patient-dependent accuracy of atlas-based attenuation correction (ATAC) for brain positron emission tomography (PET) in an integrated time-of-flight (TOF) PET/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system. Materials and Methods Thirty recruited patients provided informed consent in this institutional review board-approved study. All patients underwent whole-body fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography (CT) followed by TOF PET/MR imaging. With use of TOF PET data, PET images were reconstructed with four different attenuation correction (AC) methods: PET with patient CT-based AC (CTAC), PET with ATAC (air and bone from an atlas), PET with ATAC patientBone (air and tissue from the atlas with patient bone), and PET with ATAC boneless (air and tissue from the atlas without bone). For quantitative evaluation, PET mean activity concentration values were measured in 14 1-mL volumes of interest (VOIs) distributed throughout the brain and statistical significance was tested with a paired t test. Results The mean overall difference (±standard deviation) of PET with ATAC compared with PET with CTAC was -0.69 kBq/mL ± 0.60 (-4.0% ± 3.2) (P PET with ATAC boneless (-9.4% ± 3.7) was significantly worse than that of PET with ATAC (-4.0% ± 3.2) (P PET with ATAC patientBone (-1.5% ± 1.5) improved over that of PET with ATAC (-4.0% ± 3.2) (P PET/MR imaging achieves similar quantification accuracy to that from CTAC by means of atlas-based bone compensation. However, patient-specific anatomic differences from the atlas causes bone attenuation differences and misclassified sinuses, which result in patient-dependent performance variation of ATAC. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

PET Performance Evaluation of an MR-Compatible PET Insert

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yibao; Catana, Ciprian; Farrell, Richard; Dokhale, Purushottam A.; Shah, Kanai S.; Qi, Jinyi; Cherry, Simon R.

2010-01-01

A magnetic resonance (MR) compatible positron emission tomography (PET) insert has been developed in our laboratory for simultaneous small animal PET/MR imaging. This system is based on lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) scintillator arrays with position-sensitive avalanche photodiode (PSAPD) photodetectors. The PET performance of this insert has been measured. The average reconstructed image spatial resolution was 1.51 mm. The sensitivity at the center of the field of view (CFOV) was 0.35%, which is comparable to the simulation predictions of 0.40%. The average photopeak energy resolution was 25%. The scatter fraction inside the MRI scanner with a line source was 12% (with a mouse-sized phantom and standard 35 mm Bruker 1H RF coil), 7% (with RF coil only) and 5% (without phantom or RF coil) for an energy window of 350–650 keV. The front-end electronics had a dead time of 390 ns, and a trigger extension dead time of 7.32 μs that degraded counting rate performance for injected doses above ~0.75 mCi (28 MBq). The peak noise-equivalent count rate (NECR) of 1.27 kcps was achieved at 290 μCi (10.7 MBq). The system showed good imaging performance inside a 7-T animal MRI system; however improvements in data acquisition electronics and reduction of the coincidence timing window are needed to realize improved NECR performance. PMID:21072320

PET/MR in oncology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balyasnikova, Svetlana; Löfgren, Johan; de Nijs, Robin

2012-01-01

of the challenges inherent in this new technology, but focus on potential applications for simultaneous PET/MR in the field of oncology. Methods and tracers for use with the PET technology will be familiar to most readers of this journal; thus this paper aims to provide a short and basic introduction to a number...... be applied together with PET increasing the amount of information about the tissues of interest. The potential clinical benefit of applying PET/MR in staging, radiotherapy planning and treatment evaluation in oncology, as well as the research perspectives for the use of PET/MR in the development of new...

Reproducibility of Quantitative Brain Imaging Using a PET-Only and a Combined PET/MR System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin L. Lassen

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of migrating a quantitative brain imaging protocol from a positron emission tomography (PET-only system to an integrated PET/MR system. Potential differences in both absolute radiotracer concentration as well as in the derived kinetic parameters as a function of PET system choice have been investigated. Five healthy volunteers underwent dynamic (R-[11C]verapamil imaging on the same day using a GE-Advance (PET-only and a Siemens Biograph mMR system (PET/MR. PET-emission data were reconstructed using a transmission-based attenuation correction (AC map (PET-only, whereas a standard MR-DIXON as well as a low-dose CT AC map was applied to PET/MR emission data. Kinetic modeling based on arterial blood sampling was performed using a 1-tissue-2-rate constant compartment model, yielding kinetic parameters (K1 and k2 and distribution volume (VT. Differences for parametric values obtained in the PET-only and the PET/MR systems were analyzed using a 2-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA. Comparison of DIXON-based AC (PET/MR with emission data derived from the PET-only system revealed average inter-system differences of −33 ± 14% (p < 0.05 for the K1 parameter and −19 ± 9% (p < 0.05 for k2. Using a CT-based AC for PET/MR resulted in slightly lower systematic differences of −16 ± 18% for K1 and −9 ± 10% for k2. The average differences in VT were −18 ± 10% (p < 0.05 for DIXON- and −8 ± 13% for CT-based AC. Significant systematic differences were observed for kinetic parameters derived from emission data obtained from PET/MR and PET-only imaging due to different standard AC methods employed. Therefore, a transfer of imaging protocols from PET-only to PET/MR systems is not straightforward without application of proper correction methods.Clinical Trial Registration:www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu, identifier 2013-001724-19

Poster - 01: LabPET II Pixelated APD-Based PET Scanner for High-Resolution Preclinical Imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lecomte, Roger; Arpin, Louis; Beaudoin, Jean-François; Bergeron, Mélanie; Bouchard, Jonathan; Bouziri, Haithem; Cadorette, Jules; Gaudin, Émilie; Jürgensen, Nadia; Koua, Konin Calliste; Trépanier, Pierre-Yves Lauzier; Leroux, Jean-Daniel; Loignon-Houle, Francis; Njejimana, Larissa; Paillé, Maxime; Paulin, Caroline; Pepin, Catherine; Pratte, Jean-François; Samson, Arnaud; Thibaudeau, Christian [Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, CIMS/CRCHUS, Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, CIMS/CRCHUS, Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Université de Sherbrooke, Novalgo Inc., Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, CIMS/CRCHUS, 3IT, Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, 3IT, Université de Sherbrooke (Canada); and others

2016-08-15

Purpose: LabPET II is a new generation APD-based PET scanner designed to achieve sub-mm spatial resolution using truly pixelated detectors and highly integrated parallel front-end processing electronics. Methods: The basic element uses a 4×8 array of 1.12×1.12 mm{sup 2} Lu{sub 1.9}Y{sub 0.1}SiO{sub 5}:Ce (LYSO) scintillator pixels with one-to-one coupling to a 4×8 pixelated monolithic APD array mounted on a ceramic carrier. Four detector arrays are mounted on a daughter board carrying two flip-chip, 64-channel, mixed-signal, application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) on the backside interfacing to two detector arrays each. Fully parallel signal processing was implemented in silico by encoding time and energy information using a dual-threshold Time-over-Threshold (ToT) scheme. The self-contained 128-channel detector module was designed as a generic component for ultra-high resolution PET imaging of small to medium-size animals. Results: Energy and timing performance were optimized by carefully setting ToT thresholds to minimize the noise/slope ratio. ToT spectra clearly show resolved 511 keV photopeak and Compton edge with ToT resolution well below 10%. After correction for nonlinear ToT response, energy resolution is typically 24±2% FWHM. Coincidence time resolution between opposing 128-channel modules is below 4 ns FWHM. Initial imaging results demonstrate that 0.8 mm hot spots of a Derenzo phantom can be resolved. Conclusion: A new generation PET scanner featuring truly pixelated detectors was developed and shown to achieve a spatial resolution approaching the physical limit of PET. Future plans are to integrate a small-bore dedicated mouse version of the scanner within a PET/CT platform.

Hybrid MR-PET of brain tumours using amino acid PET and chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, N A; Lohmann, P; Fairney, J; Magill, A W; Oros Peusquens, A-M; Choi, C-H; Stirnberg, R; Stoffels, G; Galldiks, N; Golay, X; Langen, K-J; Jon Shah, N

2018-06-01

PET using radiolabelled amino acids has become a promising tool in the diagnostics of gliomas and brain metastasis. Current research is focused on the evaluation of amide proton transfer (APT) chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MR imaging for brain tumour imaging. In this hybrid MR-PET study, brain tumours were compared using 3D data derived from APT-CEST MRI and amino acid PET using O-(2- 18 F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine ( 18 F-FET). Eight patients with gliomas were investigated simultaneously with 18 F-FET PET and APT-CEST MRI using a 3-T MR-BrainPET scanner. CEST imaging was based on a steady-state approach using a B 1 average power of 1μT. B 0 field inhomogeneities were corrected a Prametric images of magnetisation transfer ratio asymmetry (MTR asym ) and differences to the extrapolated semi-solid magnetisation transfer reference method, APT# and nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE#), were calculated. Statistical analysis of the tumour-to-brain ratio of the CEST data was performed against PET data using the non-parametric Wilcoxon test. A tumour-to-brain ratio derived from APT# and 18 F-FET presented no significant differences, and no correlation was found between APT# and 18 F-FET PET data. The distance between local hot spot APT# and 18 F-FET were different (average 20 ± 13 mm, range 4-45 mm). For the first time, CEST images were compared with 18 F-FET in a simultaneous MR-PET measurement. Imaging findings derived from 18 F-FET PET and APT CEST MRI seem to provide different biological information. The validation of these imaging findings by histological confirmation is necessary, ideally using stereotactic biopsy.

A strategy for multimodal deformable image registration to integrate PET/MR into radiotherapy treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leibfarth, Sara; Moennich, David; Thorwarth, Daniela; Welz, Stefan; Siegel, Christine; Zips, Daniel; Schwenzer, Nina; Holger Schmidt, Holger

2013-01-01

Background: Combined positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is highly promising for biologically individualized radiotherapy (RT). Hence, the purpose of this work was to develop an accurate and robust registration strategy to integrate combined PET/MR data into RT treatment planning. Material and methods: Eight patient datasets consisting of an FDG PET/computed tomography (CT) and a subsequently acquired PET/MR of the head and neck (HN) region were available. Registration strategies were developed based on CT and MR data only, whereas the PET components were fused with the resulting deformation field. Following a rigid registration, deformable registration was performed with a transform parametrized by B-splines. Three different optimization metrics were investigated: global mutual information (GMI), GMI combined with a bending energy penalty (BEP) for regularization (GMI + BEP) and localized mutual information with BEP (LMI + BEP). Different quantitative registration quality measures were developed, including volumetric overlap and mean distance measures for structures segmented on CT and MR as well as anatomical landmark distances. Moreover, the local registration quality in the tumor region was assessed by the normalized cross correlation (NCC) of the two PET datasets. Results: LMI + BEP yielded the most robust and accurate registration results. For GMI, GMI + BEP and LMI + BEP, mean landmark distances (standard deviations) were 23.9 mm (15.5 mm), 4.8 mm (4.0 mm) and 3.0 mm (1.0 mm), and mean NCC values (standard deviations) were 0.29 (0.29), 0.84 (0.14) and 0.88 (0.06), respectively. Conclusion: Accurate and robust multimodal deformable image registration of CT and MR in the HN region can be performed using a B-spline parametrized transform and LMI + BEP as optimization metric. With this strategy, biologically individualized RT based on combined PET/MRI in terms of dose painting is possible

PET and MRI: The Odd Couple or a Match Made in Heaven?

Science.gov (United States)

Catana, Ciprian; Guimaraes, Alexander R.; Rosen, Bruce R.

2013-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are imaging modalities routinely used for clinical and research applications. Integrated scanners capable of acquiring PET and MRI data in the same imaging session, sequentially or simultaneously, have recently become available for human use. In this manuscript, we describe some of the technical advances that allowed the development of human PET/MR scanners, briefly discuss methodological challenges and opportunities provided by this novel technology and present potential oncologic, cardiac, and neuro-psychiatric applications. These examples range from studies that might immediately benefit from PET/MR to more advanced applications where future development might have an even broader impact. PMID:23492887

Rise of the machines : cyclotrons and radiopharmaceuticals in the PET-CT-MR golden age

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, Roger

2011-01-01

Full text: One particularly inspiring narrative in the evolution of medical imaging over 35 years begins with the introduction of quassi-routine production of 18F, enabled by advances in reliability of (medical) cyclotrons; invention of the 'molecule of the century' [18F]FOG and its robust synthesis; comprehending betrayal of major tumour-cell types by their glucose avidity; astounding advances in PET scanners (recently, time-of-flight); and marriage of anatomic with functional 3-D imaging as PET/CT or (recently) PET/MR. Though the explosion in PET is identified historically with diagnostic oncology plus quantitation of nuclear medicine, plus the collateral leverage of advances in CT and MR, other potentially transformative opportunities (pre-diagnosis or quantifying treatment response) are emerging in dementia and diabetes-as exemplars of PET-addressable mass afflictions-driven by advances in specificity/sensitivity of targeting molecules. PET delivers femto-M functional sensitivity (e.g.; receptor-targeting)-several magnitude-orders of narrow-context superiority over MR or CT-exemplified by the rapid rise of solid-targetry metallo-PET (64Cu, 89Zr), and concomitantly, preclinical radioimmuno micro-PET/CT/SPECT imaging. Though [11 C ] PET has elucidated brain, prostate and other cell +/- tumour mechanisms, realistic clinical rollout demands longer halflife [18F]-labelling. [18F] innovations beyond [18F]FDG elucidate numerous metabolisms, including choline, hypoxia, apoptosis and amino-acid, and notably will soon provide a routine-clinical [18F]-alternative to [11 C] based beta-amyloid dementia diagnosis. Frontier PET is constrained by cost/dose, shackled to 'twentieth century' technologies-cyclotron, hotcell and synthesis unit. Example is [18F] bone scintigraphy; acknowledged as clinically superior to [99mTc]MOP, its widespread implementation awaits cheaper isotope, accessible PET/CT scanners, and maybe 'true' shortage of [99mTc]. Generator-sourced 68 Ga-PET is

Comparison between PET/MR and PET/CT in evaluation of oncological patients%PET/MR与PET/CT的对比研究

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

徐白萱; 富丽萍; 关志伟; 尹大一; 刘家金; 杨晖; 张锦明; 陈英茂; 安宁豫

2014-01-01

Objective To verify the feasibility of the integrated PET/MR for oncological applications by comparing PET/MR with PET/CT in terms of lesion detection and quantitative measurement.Methods A total of 277 patients (165 males,112 females,average age (52.9± 12.6) years) voluntarily participated in this same-day PET/CT and PET/MR comparative study.The time interval between the two studies was 15-35 min.PET/CT images were acquired and reconstructed following standard protocols.PET/MR covered the body trunk with a sequence combination of transverse T1 weighted imaging (WI) 3D-volumetric interpolated breath-hold,T2WI turbo spin echo with fat saturation,diffusion-weighted imaging,and simultaneous PET acquisition.PET images were reconstructed by vender-provided attenuation correction methods.The results of PET/CT and PET/MR were regarded as positive if any modality (CT,PET or MRI) was positive.SUVmax was obtained by the manually drawn ROI.Detection rates were compared with x2 test and SUVmax from the two modalities was analyzed with Spearman correlation analysis.Results A total of 353 lesions were detected in 220 patients.Compared to PET/CT,PET/MR revealed 30 additional true-positive lesions,while missed 6.The detection rates between PET/CT and PET/MR were significantly different (P＜0.05).The lesion-based and patient-based consistency was 89.8％ (317/353) and 85.9％ (189/220),respectively.There were significant correlations of SUVmax between PET/MR and PET/CT for lesions(rs =0.91,P＜0.01) and for normal tissues(rs =0.62-0.76,all P＜0.01).Conclusions With reference to PET/CT,integrated PET/MR may provide comparable semi-quantitative measurements of pathological lesions as well as normal tissues.Integrated PET/MR may be more effective to detect lesions in abdomen and pelvis.%目的 通过与PET/CT在病灶检测及定量分析方面的比较,论证PET/MR一体机应用于临床的可行性.方法 2012年5月至2013年2月共300例患者同天间隔15 ～ 35 min行PET/CT和PET

A new generation of PET scanners for small animal studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegyesi, G.; Imrek, J.; Kalinka, G.; Molnar, J.; Novak, D.; Valastyan, I.; Balkay, L.; Emri, M.; Kis, S.; Tron, L.

2008-01-01

processing algorithms, or the same method with different parameters. The miniPET-II small animal PET scanner consists of 12 independent detector modules. The inner diameter of the scanner is 206 mmm. On each module there is a segmented scintillator block (35 x 35 crystals of 1.27 mm x 1.27 mm x 12 mm) coupled to a Hamamatsu H9500 position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT) which detects the incoming gamma photons. The timing, energy and position signals of the PSPMT are digitized by four channel ADC running at 50 MHz, and analyzed by a Digital Signal Processing (DSP) block. The DSP block and a 'System-on-Module' embedded system are implemented in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA, Virtex-4 FX12) based small piggyback card. The System-on-Module runs a custom embedded Linux operating system. This Linux provides a convenient platform for application development, debugging and for system integration. The collected data are sent to the computing cluster for further processing via a gigabit Ethernet link. The miniPETII detector module can also be used independently from the PET scanner as a general purpose physics measurement device

Joint estimation of activity and attenuation for PET using pragmatic MR-based prior: application to clinical TOF PET/MR whole-body data for FDG and non-FDG tracers

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Sangtae; Cheng, Lishui; Shanbhag, Dattesh D.; Qian, Hua; Kaushik, Sandeep S.; Jansen, Floris P.; Wiesinger, Florian

2018-02-01

Accurate and robust attenuation correction remains challenging in hybrid PET/MR particularly for torsos because it is difficult to segment bones, lungs and internal air in MR images. Additionally, MR suffers from susceptibility artifacts when a metallic implant is present. Recently, joint estimation (JE) of activity and attenuation based on PET data, also known as maximum likelihood reconstruction of activity and attenuation, has gained considerable interest because of (1) its promise to address the challenges in MR-based attenuation correction (MRAC), and (2) recent advances in time-of-flight (TOF) technology, which is known to be the key to the success of JE. In this paper, we implement a JE algorithm using an MR-based prior and evaluate the algorithm using whole-body PET/MR patient data, for both FDG and non-FDG tracers, acquired from GE SIGNA PET/MR scanners with TOF capability. The weight of the MR-based prior is spatially modulated, based on MR signal strength, to control the balance between MRAC and JE. Large prior weights are used in strong MR signal regions such as soft tissue and fat (i.e. MR tissue classification with a high degree of certainty) and small weights are used in low MR signal regions (i.e. MR tissue classification with a low degree of certainty). The MR-based prior is pragmatic in the sense that it is convex and does not require training or population statistics while exploiting synergies between MRAC and JE. We demonstrate the JE algorithm has the potential to improve the robustness and accuracy of MRAC by recovering the attenuation of metallic implants, internal air and some bones and by better delineating lung boundaries, not only for FDG but also for more specific non-FDG tracers such as 68Ga-DOTATOC and 18F-Fluoride.

Simultaneous PET/MR imaging in a human brain PET/MR system in 50 patients—Current state of image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwenzer, N.F.; Stegger, L.; Bisdas, S.; Schraml, C.; Kolb, A.; Boss, A.; Müller, M.

2012-01-01

Objectives: The present work illustrates the current state of image quality and diagnostic accuracy in a new hybrid BrainPET/MR. Materials and methods: 50 patients with intracranial masses, head and upper neck tumors or neurodegenerative diseases were examined with a hybrid BrainPET/MR consisting of a conventional 3T MR system and an MR-compatible PET insert. Directly before PET/MR, all patients underwent a PET/CT examination with either [ 18 F]-FDG, [ 11 C]-methionine or [ 68 Ga]-DOTATOC. In addition to anatomical MR scans, functional sequences were performed including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), arterial spin labeling (ASL) and proton-spectroscopy. Image quality score of MR imaging was evaluated using a 4-point-scale. PET data quality was assessed by evaluating FDG-uptake and tumor delineation with [ 11 C]-methionine and [ 68 Ga]-DOTATOC. FDG uptake quantification accuracy was evaluated by means of ROI analysis (right and left frontal and temporo-occipital lobes). The asymmetry indices and ratios between frontal and occipital ROIs were compared. Results: In 45/50 patients, PET/MR examination was successful. Visual analysis revealed a diagnostic image quality of anatomical MR imaging (mean quality score T2 FSE: 1.27 ± 0.54; FLAIR: 1.38 ± 0.61). ASL and proton-spectroscopy was possible in all cases. In DTI, dental artifacts lead to one non-diagnostic dataset (mean quality score DTI: 1.32 ± 0.69; ASL: 1.10 ± 0.31). PET datasets of PET/MR and PET/CT offered comparable tumor delineation with [ 11 C]-methionine; additional lesions were found in 2/8 [ 68 Ga]-DOTATOC-PET in the PET/MR. Mean asymmetry index revealed a high accordance between PET/MR and PET/CT (1.5 ± 2.2% vs. 0.9 ± 3.6%; mean ratio (frontal/parieto-occipital) 0.93 ± 0.08 vs. 0.96 ± 0.05), respectively. Conclusions: The hybrid BrainPET/MR allows for molecular, anatomical and functional imaging with uncompromised MR image quality and a high accordance of PET results between PET/MR and PET

Simultaneous PET/MR imaging in a human brain PET/MR system in 50 patients-Current state of image quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwenzer, N.F., E-mail: nina.schwenzer@med.uni-tuebingen.de [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard-Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen (Germany); Stegger, L., E-mail: stegger@gmx.net [Department of Nuclear Medicine and European Institute for Molecular Imaging, University of Muenster, Muenster (Germany); Bisdas, S., E-mail: sbisdas@gmail.com [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Eberhard-Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen (Germany); Schraml, C., E-mail: christina.schraml@med.uni-tuebingen.de [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard-Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen (Germany); Kolb, A., E-mail: armin.kolb@med.uni-tuebingen.de [Laboratory for Preclinical Imaging and Imaging Technology of the Werner Siemens-Foundation, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Eberhard-Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen (Germany); Boss, A., E-mail: Andreas.Boss@usz.ch [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard-Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen (Germany); Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zuerich, Zuerich (Switzerland); Mueller, M., E-mail: mark.mueller@med.uni-tuebingen.de [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Eberhard-Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen (Germany); and others

2012-11-15

Objectives: The present work illustrates the current state of image quality and diagnostic accuracy in a new hybrid BrainPET/MR. Materials and methods: 50 patients with intracranial masses, head and upper neck tumors or neurodegenerative diseases were examined with a hybrid BrainPET/MR consisting of a conventional 3T MR system and an MR-compatible PET insert. Directly before PET/MR, all patients underwent a PET/CT examination with either [{sup 18}F]-FDG, [{sup 11}C]-methionine or [{sup 68}Ga]-DOTATOC. In addition to anatomical MR scans, functional sequences were performed including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), arterial spin labeling (ASL) and proton-spectroscopy. Image quality score of MR imaging was evaluated using a 4-point-scale. PET data quality was assessed by evaluating FDG-uptake and tumor delineation with [{sup 11}C]-methionine and [{sup 68}Ga]-DOTATOC. FDG uptake quantification accuracy was evaluated by means of ROI analysis (right and left frontal and temporo-occipital lobes). The asymmetry indices and ratios between frontal and occipital ROIs were compared. Results: In 45/50 patients, PET/MR examination was successful. Visual analysis revealed a diagnostic image quality of anatomical MR imaging (mean quality score T2 FSE: 1.27 {+-} 0.54; FLAIR: 1.38 {+-} 0.61). ASL and proton-spectroscopy was possible in all cases. In DTI, dental artifacts lead to one non-diagnostic dataset (mean quality score DTI: 1.32 {+-} 0.69; ASL: 1.10 {+-} 0.31). PET datasets of PET/MR and PET/CT offered comparable tumor delineation with [{sup 11}C]-methionine; additional lesions were found in 2/8 [{sup 68}Ga]-DOTATOC-PET in the PET/MR. Mean asymmetry index revealed a high accordance between PET/MR and PET/CT (1.5 {+-} 2.2% vs. 0.9 {+-} 3.6%; mean ratio (frontal/parieto-occipital) 0.93 {+-} 0.08 vs. 0.96 {+-} 0.05), respectively. Conclusions: The hybrid BrainPET/MR allows for molecular, anatomical and functional imaging with uncompromised MR image quality and a high accordance

A High Resolution Monolithic Crystal, DOI, MR Compatible, PET Detector. Final-Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyaoka, Robert S.

2012-01-01

The principle objective of this proposal is to develop a positron emission tomography (PET) detector with depth-of-interaction (DOI) positioning capability that will achieve state of the art spatial resolution and sensitivity performance for small animal PET imaging. When arranged in a ring or box detector geometry, the proposed detector module will support 15% absolute detection efficiency. The detector will also be compatible with operation in a MR scanner to support simultaneous multi-modality imaging. The detector design will utilize a thick, monolithic crystal scintillator readout by a two-dimensional array of silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) devices using a novel sensor on the entrance surface (SES) design. Our hypothesis is that our single-ended readout SES design will provide an effective DOI positioning performance equivalent to more expensive dual-ended readout techniques and at a significantly lower cost. Our monolithic crystal design will also lead to a significantly lower cost system. It is our goal to design a detector with state of the art performance but at a price point that is affordable so the technology can be disseminated to many laboratories. A second hypothesis is that using SiPM arrays, the detector will be able to operate in a MR scanner without any degradation in performance to support simultaneous PET/MR imaging. Having a co-registered MR image will assist in radiotracer localization and may also be used for partial volume corrections to improve radiotracer uptake quantitation. The far reaching goal of this research is to develop technology for medical research that will lead to improvements in human health care.

Simultaneous PET/MR imaging of the brain: feasibility of cerebral blood flow measurements with FAIR-TrueFISP arterial spin labeling MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Stegger, Lars; Martirosian, Petros; Schwenzer, Nina; Bisdas, Sotirios; Kolb, Armin; Pfannenberg, Christina; Claussen, Claus D; Pichler, Bernd; Schick, Fritz; Boss, Andreas

2012-11-01

Hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) with simultaneous data acquisition promises a comprehensive evaluation of cerebral pathophysiology on a molecular, anatomical, and functional level. Considering the necessary changes to the MR scanner design the feasibility of arterial spin labeling (ASL) is unclear. To evaluate whether cerebral blood flow imaging with ASL is feasible using a prototype PET/MRI device. ASL imaging of the brain with Flow-sensitive Alternating Inversion Recovery (FAIR) spin preparation and true fast imaging in steady precession (TrueFISP) data readout was performed in eight healthy volunteers sequentially on a prototype PET/MRI and a stand-alone MR scanner with 128 × 128 and 192 × 192 matrix sizes. Cerebral blood flow values for gray matter, signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios, and relative signal change were compared. Additionally, the feasibility of ASL as part of a clinical hybrid PET/MRI protocol was demonstrated in five patients with intracerebral tumors. Blood flow maps showed good delineation of gray and white matter with no discernible artifacts. The mean blood flow values of the eight volunteers on the PET/MR system were 51 ± 9 and 51 ± 7 mL/100 g/min for the 128 × 128 and 192 × 192 matrices (stand-alone MR, 57 ± 2 and 55 ± 5, not significant). The value for signal-to-noise (SNR) was significantly higher for the PET/MRI system using the 192 × 192 matrix size (P change (δS) was significantly lower for the 192 × 192 matrix size (P = 0.02). ASL imaging as part of a clinical hybrid PET/MRI protocol could successfully be accomplished in all patients in diagnostic image quality. ASL brain imaging is feasible with a prototype hybrid PET/MRI scanner, thus adding to the value of this novel imaging technique.

Colorectal cancer staging: comparison of whole-body PET/CT and PET/MR.

Science.gov (United States)

Catalano, Onofrio A; Coutinho, Artur M; Sahani, Dushyant V; Vangel, Mark G; Gee, Michael S; Hahn, Peter F; Witzel, Thomas; Soricelli, Andrea; Salvatore, Marco; Catana, Ciprian; Mahmood, Umar; Rosen, Bruce R; Gervais, Debra

2017-04-01

Correct staging is imperative for colorectal cancer (CRC) since it influences both prognosis and management. Several imaging methods are used for this purpose, with variable performance. Positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance (PET/MR) is an innovative imaging technique recently employed for clinical application. The present study was undertaken to compare the staging accuracy of whole-body positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) with whole-body PET/MR in patients with both newly diagnosed and treated colorectal cancer. Twenty-six patients, who underwent same day whole-body (WB) PET/CT and WB-PET/MR, were evaluated. PET/CT and PET/MR studies were interpreted by consensus by a radiologist and a nuclear medicine physician. Correlations with prior imaging and follow-up studies were used as the reference standard. Correct staging was compared between methods using McNemar's Chi square test. The two methods were in agreement and correct for 18/26 (69%) patients, and in agreement and incorrect for one patient (3.8%). PET/MR and PET/CT stages for the remaining 7/26 patients (27%) were discordant, with PET/MR staging being correct in all seven cases. PET/MR significantly outperformed PET/CT overall for accurate staging (P = 0.02). PET/MR outperformed PET/CT in CRC staging. PET/MR might allow accurate local and distant staging of CRC patients during both at the time of diagnosis and during follow-up.

Effect of Attenuation Correction on Regional Quantification Between PET/MR and PET/CT

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teuho, Jarmo; Johansson, Jarkko; Linden, Jani

2016-01-01

UNLABELLED: A spatial bias in brain PET/MR exists compared with PET/CT, because of MR-based attenuation correction. We performed an evaluation among 4 institutions, 3 PET/MR systems, and 4 PET/CT systems using an anthropomorphic brain phantom, hypothesizing that the spatial bias would be minimized....../MR systems, CTAC was applied as the reference method for attenuation correction. RESULTS: With CTAC, visual and quantitative differences between PET/MR and PET/CT systems were minimized. Intersystem variation between institutions was +3.42% to -3.29% in all VOIs for PET/CT and +2.15% to -4.50% in all VOIs...... for PET/MR. PET/MR systems differed by +2.34% to -2.21%, +2.04% to -2.08%, and -1.77% to -5.37% when compared with a PET/CT system at each institution, and these differences were not significant (P ≥ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Visual and quantitative differences between PET/MR and PET/CT systems can be minimized...

Accelerated acquisition of tagged MRI for cardiac motion correction in simultaneous PET-MR: Phantom and patient studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Chuan; Petibon, Yoann; Ouyang, Jinsong; El Fakhri, Georges; Reese, Timothy G.; Ahlman, Mark A.; Bluemke, David A.

2015-01-01

Purpose: Degradation of image quality caused by cardiac and respiratory motions hampers the diagnostic quality of cardiac PET. It has been shown that improved diagnostic accuracy of myocardial defect can be achieved by tagged MR (tMR) based PET motion correction using simultaneous PET-MR. However, one major hurdle for the adoption of tMR-based PET motion correction in the PET-MR routine is the long acquisition time needed for the collection of fully sampled tMR data. In this work, the authors propose an accelerated tMR acquisition strategy using parallel imaging and/or compressed sensing and assess the impact on the tMR-based motion corrected PET using phantom and patient data. Methods: Fully sampled tMR data were acquired simultaneously with PET list-mode data on two simultaneous PET-MR scanners for a cardiac phantom and a patient. Parallel imaging and compressed sensing were retrospectively performed by GRAPPA and kt-FOCUSS algorithms with various acceleration factors. Motion fields were estimated using nonrigid B-spline image registration from both the accelerated and fully sampled tMR images. The motion fields were incorporated into a motion corrected ordered subset expectation maximization reconstruction algorithm with motion-dependent attenuation correction. Results: Although tMR acceleration introduced image artifacts into the tMR images for both phantom and patient data, motion corrected PET images yielded similar image quality as those obtained using the fully sampled tMR images for low to moderate acceleration factors (<4). Quantitative analysis of myocardial defect contrast over ten independent noise realizations showed similar results. It was further observed that although the image quality of the motion corrected PET images deteriorates for high acceleration factors, the images were still superior to the images reconstructed without motion correction. Conclusions: Accelerated tMR images obtained with more than 4 times acceleration can still provide

Accelerated acquisition of tagged MRI for cardiac motion correction in simultaneous PET-MR: Phantom and patient studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Chuan, E-mail: chuan.huang@stonybrookmedicine.edu [Center for Advanced Medical Imaging Sciences, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 (United States); Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States); Departments of Radiology, Psychiatry, Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, New York 11794 (United States); Petibon, Yoann [Center for Advanced Medical Imaging Sciences, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 (United States); Ouyang, Jinsong; El Fakhri, Georges [Center for Advanced Medical Imaging Sciences, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 and Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States); Reese, Timothy G. [Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 and Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129 (United States); Ahlman, Mark A.; Bluemke, David A. [Radiology and Imaging Sciences, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 (United States)

2015-02-15

Purpose: Degradation of image quality caused by cardiac and respiratory motions hampers the diagnostic quality of cardiac PET. It has been shown that improved diagnostic accuracy of myocardial defect can be achieved by tagged MR (tMR) based PET motion correction using simultaneous PET-MR. However, one major hurdle for the adoption of tMR-based PET motion correction in the PET-MR routine is the long acquisition time needed for the collection of fully sampled tMR data. In this work, the authors propose an accelerated tMR acquisition strategy using parallel imaging and/or compressed sensing and assess the impact on the tMR-based motion corrected PET using phantom and patient data. Methods: Fully sampled tMR data were acquired simultaneously with PET list-mode data on two simultaneous PET-MR scanners for a cardiac phantom and a patient. Parallel imaging and compressed sensing were retrospectively performed by GRAPPA and kt-FOCUSS algorithms with various acceleration factors. Motion fields were estimated using nonrigid B-spline image registration from both the accelerated and fully sampled tMR images. The motion fields were incorporated into a motion corrected ordered subset expectation maximization reconstruction algorithm with motion-dependent attenuation correction. Results: Although tMR acceleration introduced image artifacts into the tMR images for both phantom and patient data, motion corrected PET images yielded similar image quality as those obtained using the fully sampled tMR images for low to moderate acceleration factors (<4). Quantitative analysis of myocardial defect contrast over ten independent noise realizations showed similar results. It was further observed that although the image quality of the motion corrected PET images deteriorates for high acceleration factors, the images were still superior to the images reconstructed without motion correction. Conclusions: Accelerated tMR images obtained with more than 4 times acceleration can still provide

Image artifacts from MR-based attenuation correction in clinical, whole-body PET/MRI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keller, Sune H; Holm, Søren; Hansen, Adam E

2013-01-01

Integrated whole-body PET/MRI tomographs have become available. PET/MR imaging has the potential to supplement, or even replace combined PET/CT imaging in selected clinical indications. However, this is true only if methodological pitfalls and image artifacts arising from novel MR-based attenuation...

MR-guided PET motion correction in LOR space using generic projection data for image reconstruction with PRESTO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheins, J.; Ullisch, M.; Tellmann, L.; Weirich, C.; Rota Kops, E.; Herzog, H.; Shah, N.J.

2013-01-01

The BrainPET scanner from Siemens, designed as hybrid MR/PET system for simultaneous acquisition of both modalities, provides high-resolution PET images with an optimum resolution of 3 mm. However, significant head motion often compromises the achievable image quality, e.g. in neuroreceptor studies of human brain. This limitation can be omitted when tracking the head motion and accurately correcting measured Lines-of-Response (LORs). For this purpose, we present a novel method, which advantageously combines MR-guided motion tracking with the capabilities of the reconstruction software PRESTO (PET Reconstruction Software Toolkit) to convert motion-corrected LORs into highly accurate generic projection data. In this way, the high-resolution PET images achievable with PRESTO can also be obtained in presence of severe head motion

Optimization of PET-MR Registrations for Nonhuman Primates Using Mutual Information Measures: A Multi-Transform Method (MTM)

Science.gov (United States)

Sandiego, Christine M.; Weinzimmer, David; Carson, Richard E.

2012-01-01

An important step in PET brain kinetic analysis is the registration of functional data to an anatomical MR image. Typically, PET-MR registrations in nonhuman primate neuroreceptor studies used PET images acquired early post-injection, (e.g., 0–10 min) to closely resemble the subject’s MR image. However, a substantial fraction of these registrations (~25%) fail due to the differences in kinetics and distribution for various radiotracer studies and conditions (e.g., blocking studies). The Multi-Transform Method (MTM) was developed to improve the success of registrations between PET and MR images. Two algorithms were evaluated, MTM-I and MTM-II. The approach involves creating multiple transformations by registering PET images of different time intervals, from a dynamic study, to a single reference (i.e., MR image) (MTM-I) or to multiple reference images (i.e., MR and PET images pre-registered to the MR) (MTM-II). Normalized mutual information was used to compute similarity between the transformed PET images and the reference image(s) to choose the optimal transformation. This final transformation is used to map the dynamic dataset into the animal’s anatomical MR space, required for kinetic analysis. The chosen transformed from MTM-I and MTM-II were evaluated using visual rating scores to assess the quality of spatial alignment between the resliced PET and reference. One hundred twenty PET datasets involving eleven different tracers from 3 different scanners were used to evaluate the MTM algorithms. Studies were performed with baboons and rhesus monkeys on the HR+, HRRT, and Focus-220. Successful transformations increased from 77.5%, 85.8%, to 96.7% using the 0–10 min method, MTM-I, and MTM-II, respectively, based on visual rating scores. The Multi-Transform Methods proved to be a robust technique for PET-MR registrations for a wide range of PET studies. PMID:22926293

Generation of structural MR images from amyloid PET: Application to MR-less quantification.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hongyoon; Lee, Dong Soo

2017-12-07

Structural magnetic resonance (MR) images concomitantly acquired with PET images can provide crucial anatomical information for precise quantitative analysis. However, in the clinical setting, not all the subjects have corresponding MR. Here, we developed a model to generate structural MR images from amyloid PET using deep generative networks. We applied our model to quantification of cortical amyloid load without structural MR. Methods: We used florbetapir PET and structural MR data of Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database. The generative network was trained to generate realistic structural MR images from florbetapir PET images. After the training, the model was applied to the quantification of cortical amyloid load. PET images were spatially normalized to the template space using the generated MR and then standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) of the target regions was measured by predefined regions-of-interests. A real MR-based quantification was used as the gold standard to measure the accuracy of our approach. Other MR-less methods, a normal PET template-based, multi-atlas PET template-based and PET segmentation-based normalization/quantification methods, were also tested. We compared performance of quantification methods using generated MR with that of MR-based and MR-less quantification methods. Results: Generated MR images from florbetapir PET showed visually similar signal patterns to the real MR. The structural similarity index between real and generated MR was 0.91 ± 0.04. Mean absolute error of SUVR of cortical composite regions estimated by the generated MR-based method was 0.04±0.03, which was significantly smaller than other MR-less methods (0.29±0.12 for the normal PET-template, 0.12±0.07 for multiatlas PET-template and 0.08±0.06 for PET segmentation-based methods). Bland-Altman plots revealed that the generated MR-based SUVR quantification was the closest to the SUVR values estimated by the real MR-based method. Conclusion

Response assessment of stereotactic body radiation therapy using dynamic contrast-enhanced integrated MR-PET in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yu-Sen; Chen, Jenny Ling-Yu; Hsu, Feng-Ming; Huang, Jei-Yie; Ko, Wei-Chun; Chen, Yi-Chang; Jaw, Fu-Shan; Yen, Ruoh-Fang; Chang, Yeun-Chung

2018-01-01

To evaluate the response in patients undergoing SBRT using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) integrated magnetic resonance positron emission tomography (MR-PET). Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is efficacious as a front-line local treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We prospectively enrolled 19 lung tumors in 17 nonmetastatic NSCLC patients who were receiving SBRT as a primary treatment. They underwent DCE-integrated 3T MR-PET before and 6 weeks after SBRT. The following image parameters were analyzed: tumor size, standardized uptake value (SUV), apparent diffusion coefficient, K trans , k ep , v e , v p , and iAUC 60 . Chest computed tomography (CT) was performed at 3 months after SBRT. SBRT treatment led to tumor changes including significant decreases in the SUV max (-61%, P PET SUV max was correlated with the MR k ep mean (P = 0.002) and k ep SD (P 10 (P = 0.083). In patients with NSCLC who are receiving SBRT, DCE-integrated MR-PET can be used to evaluate the response after SBRT and to predict the local treatment outcome. 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:191-199. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

The performance characteristics of the Philips Gemini PET/CT scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Keefe, G.J.; Papenfuss, A.T.; Scott, A.M.; Rowe, C.C.

2002-01-01

Full text: The Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre for PET at the ARMC is commissioning a next generation PET/CT scanner based on gadolinium silicic dioxide (GSO) crystal technology to replace the BGO crystal PET scanner that has been in operation since 1992. The Gemini PET/CT scanner is a fully 3D PET system which offers significantly increased resolution and sensitivity allowing wholebody scans in under 30 minutes. Until the late 90's, PET scanners were largely used with septa for neurological imaging and the performance characteristics of PET scanners were presented according to the NEMA-NU2-94 standard which specifically addresses the performance of PET scanners for neurological applications. PET is now largely used without septa for oncological imaging and as such, the NEMA-NU2-94 standard does not adequately reflect performance. The NEMA-NU2-2001 standard was designed to incorporate the effects of out-of-FOV activity and its contribution to performance by virtue of the increased scatter and randoms that result when performing wholebody scans without the use of septa. As part of the acceptance program of the Allegro/Gemini systems, the NEMA-NU2-2001 standard will be used to characterise the spatial resolution, sensitivity, randoms and scatter contributions and the Noise Equivalent Count rate (NECr). These results will be presented and compared with the ECAT 951/31R performance characteristics. Copyright (2002) The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Inc

Practical Considerations for Clinical PET/MR Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Galgano, Samuel; Viets, Zachary; Fowler, Kathryn; Gore, Lael; Thomas, John V; McNamara, Michelle; McConathy, Jonathan

2018-01-01

Clinical PET/MR imaging is currently performed at a number of centers around the world as part of routine standard of care. This article focuses on issues and considerations for a clinical PET/MR imaging program, focusing on routine standard-of-care studies. Although local factors influence how clinical PET/MR imaging is implemented, the approaches and considerations described here intend to apply to most clinical programs. PET/MR imaging provides many more options than PET/computed tomography with diagnostic advantages for certain clinical applications but with added complexity. A recurring theme is matching the PET/MR imaging protocol to the clinical application to balance diagnostic accuracy with efficiency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PET/MRI in the Presence of Metal Implants: Completion of the Attenuation Map from PET Emission Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuin, Niccolo; Pedemonte, Stefano; Catalano, Onofrio A; Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Soricelli, Andrea; Salvatore, Marco; Heberlein, Keith; Hooker, Jacob M; Van Leemput, Koen; Catana, Ciprian

2017-05-01

We present a novel technique for accurate whole-body attenuation correction in the presence of metallic endoprosthesis, on integrated non-time-of-flight (non-TOF) PET/MRI scanners. The proposed implant PET-based attenuation map completion (IPAC) method performs a joint reconstruction of radioactivity and attenuation from the emission data to determine the position, shape, and linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) of metallic implants. Methods: The initial estimate of the attenuation map was obtained using the MR Dixon method currently available on the Siemens Biograph mMR scanner. The attenuation coefficients in the area of the MR image subjected to metal susceptibility artifacts are then reconstructed from the PET emission data using the IPAC algorithm. The method was tested on 11 subjects presenting 13 different metallic implants, who underwent CT and PET/MR scans. Relative mean LACs and Dice similarity coefficients were calculated to determine the accuracy of the reconstructed attenuation values and the shape of the metal implant, respectively. The reconstructed PET images were compared with those obtained using the reference CT-based approach and the Dixon-based method. Absolute relative change (aRC) images were generated in each case, and voxel-based analyses were performed. Results: The error in implant LAC estimation, using the proposed IPAC algorithm, was 15.7% ± 7.8%, which was significantly smaller than the Dixon- (100%) and CT- (39%) derived values. A mean Dice similarity coefficient of 73% ± 9% was obtained when comparing the IPAC- with the CT-derived implant shape. The voxel-based analysis of the reconstructed PET images revealed quantification errors (aRC) of 13.2% ± 22.1% for the IPAC- with respect to CT-corrected images. The Dixon-based method performed substantially worse, with a mean aRC of 23.1% ± 38.4%. Conclusion: We have presented a non-TOF emission-based approach for estimating the attenuation map in the presence of metallic implants, to

Feasibility of Multiparametric Imaging with PET/MR in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Jacob H; Nørgaard, Martin; Hansen, Adam E

2017-01-01

scanner. Gross tumor volumes were defined on T2-weighted MR images, and volumes of interest were defined on diffusion-weighted MRI and (18)F-FDG PET (VOIDWI, VOIPET). Overlap between volumes was assessed as a percentwise overlap. (18)F-FDG uptake and diffusion were measured using SUV and apparent...

Value of new MR techniques in MR-PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Attenberger, U.I.; Schoenberg, S.O.; Quick, H.H.; Guimaraes, A.; Catalano, O.; Morelli, J.N.

2013-01-01

The unparalleled soft tissue contrast of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the functional information obtainable with 18-F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) render MR-PET well-suited for oncological and psychiatric imaging. The lack of ionizing radiation with MRI also makes MR-PET a promising modality for oncology patients requiring frequent follow-up and pediatric patients. Lessons learned with PET computed tomography (CT) over the last few years do not directly translate to MR-PET. For example, in PET-CT the Hounsfield units derived from CT are used for attenuation correction (AC). As 511 keV photons emitted in PET examinations are attenuated by the patient's body CT data are converted directly to linear attenuation coefficients (LAC); however, proton density measured by MRI is not directly related to the radiodensity or LACs of biological tissue. Thus, direct conversion to LAC data is not possible making AC more challenging in simultaneous MRI-PET scanning. In addition to these constraints simultaneous MRI-PET acquisitions also improve on some solutions to well-known challenges of hybrid imaging techniques, such as limitations in motion correction. This article reports on initial clinical experiences with simultaneously acquired MRI-PET data, focusing on the potential benefits and limitations of MRI with respect to motion correction as well as metal and attenuation correction artefacts. (orig.) [de

Effects of ferumoxytol on quantitative PET measurements in simultaneous PET/MR whole-body imaging: a pilot study in a baboon model.

Science.gov (United States)

Borra, Ronald Jh; Cho, Hoon-Sung; Bowen, Spencer L; Attenberger, Ulrike; Arabasz, Grae; Catana, Ciprian; Josephson, Lee; Rosen, Bruce R; Guimaraes, Alexander R; Hooker, Jacob M

2015-12-01

Simultaneous PET/MR imaging depends on MR-derived attenuation maps (mu-maps) for accurate attenuation correction of PET data. Currently, these maps are derived from gradient-echo-based MR sequences, which are sensitive to susceptibility changes. Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles have been used in the measurement of blood volume, tumor microvasculature, tumor-associated macrophages, and characterizing lymph nodes. Our aim in this study was to assess whether the susceptibility effects associated with iron oxide nanoparticles can potentially affect measured (18)F-FDG PET standardized uptake values (SUV) through effects on MR-derived attenuation maps. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Using a Siemens Biograph mMR PET/MR scanner, we evaluated the effects of increasing concentrations of ferumoxytol and ferumoxytol aggregates on MR-derived mu-maps using an agarose phantom. In addition, we performed a baboon experiment evaluating the effects of a single i.v. ferumoxytol dose (10 mg/kg) on the liver, spleen, and pancreas (18)F-FDG SUV at baseline (ferumoxytol-naïve), within the first hour and at 1, 3, 5, and 11 weeks. Phantom experiments showed mu-map artifacts starting at ferumoxytol aggregate concentrations of 10 to 20 mg/kg. The in vivo baboon data demonstrated a 53% decrease of observed (18)F-FDG SUV compared to baseline within the first hour in the liver, persisting at least 11 weeks. A single ferumoxytol dose can affect measured SUV for at least 3 months, which should be taken into account when administrating ferumoxytol in patients needing sequential PET/MR scans. Advances in knowledge 1. Ferumoxytol aggregates, but not ferumoxytol alone, produce significant artifacts in MR-derived attenuation correction maps at approximate clinical dose levels of 10 mg/kg. 2. When performing simultaneous whole-body (18)F-FDG PET/MR, a single dose of ferumoxytol can result in observed SUV decreases up to 53%, depending on the

The usefulness of the combined PET-CT scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshikawa, Kyosan

2003-01-01

Recently, combined PET-CT scanners that simultaneously reveal both anatomical and metabolic images within the body have been developed. The Siemens Biograph was the first PET-CT used in Japan and was installed at National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) at the end of March 2002. The Biograph system integrates Siemens PET (HR+) and spiral CT (SOMATOM Emotion Duo) technologies with a multimodality computer platform. The CT data obtained with PET-CT is also used for attenuation corrections of the PET images. The advantages of PET-CT for clinical use are much shorter study time for each patient, easy and precise alignment of the patient's lesion within the PET field of view, an increase in PET image quality due to the CT attenuation correction system which gives a higher spatial resolution and produces much less noise in the attenuation correction data, and an improvement in diagnostic accuracy provided by both functional and anatomic imaging. The Japanese government has not yet approved the marketing of PET-CT. We are continuing to investigate its usefulness. We expect that PET-CT will be a major diagnostic tool for oncology imaging in the near future. (authors)

Selected PET radiomic features remain the same.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsujikawa, Tetsuya; Tsuyoshi, Hideaki; Kanno, Masafumi; Yamada, Shizuka; Kobayashi, Masato; Narita, Norihiko; Kimura, Hirohiko; Fujieda, Shigeharu; Yoshida, Yoshio; Okazawa, Hidehiko

2018-04-17

We investigated whether PET radiomic features are affected by differences in the scanner, scan protocol, and lesion location using 18 F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MR scans. SUV, TMR, skewness, kurtosis, entropy, and homogeneity strongly correlated between PET/CT and PET/MR images. SUVs were significantly higher on PET/MR 0-2 min and PET/MR 0-10 min than on PET/CT in gynecological cancer ( p = 0.008 and 0.008, respectively), whereas no significant difference was observed between PET/CT, PET/MR 0-2 min , and PET/MR 0-10 min images in oral cavity/oropharyngeal cancer. TMRs on PET/CT, PET/MR 0-2 min , and PET/MR 0-10 min increased in this order in gynecological cancer and oral cavity/oropharyngeal cancer. In contrast to conventional and histogram indices, 4 textural features (entropy, homogeneity, SRE, and LRE) were not significantly different between PET/CT, PET/MR 0-2 min , and PET/MR 0-10 min images. 18 F-FDG PET radiomic features strongly correlated between PET/CT and PET/MR images. Dixon-based attenuation correction on PET/MR images underestimated tumor tracer uptake more significantly in oral cavity/oropharyngeal cancer than in gynecological cancer. 18 F-FDG PET textural features were affected less by differences in the scanner and scan protocol than conventional and histogram features, possibly due to the resampling process using a medium bin width. Eight patients with gynecological cancer and 7 with oral cavity/oropharyngeal cancer underwent a whole-body 18 F-FDG PET/CT scan and regional PET/MR scan in one day. PET/MR scans were performed for 10 minutes in the list mode, and PET/CT and 0-2 min and 0-10 min PET/MR images were reconstructed. The standardized uptake value (SUV), tumor-to-muscle SUV ratio (TMR), skewness, kurtosis, entropy, homogeneity, short-run emphasis (SRE), and long-run emphasis (LRE) were compared between PET/CT, PET/MR 0-2 min , and PET/MR 0-10 min images.

Monte Carlo simulation of efficient data acquisition for an entire-body PET scanner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Isnaini, Ismet; Obi, Takashi [Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503 (Japan); Yoshida, Eiji, E-mail: rush@nirs.go.jp [National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Yamaya, Taiga [National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan)

2014-07-01

Conventional PET scanners can image the whole body using many bed positions. On the other hand, an entire-body PET scanner with an extended axial FOV, which can trace whole-body uptake images at the same time and improve sensitivity dynamically, has been desired. The entire-body PET scanner would have to process a large amount of data effectively. As a result, the entire-body PET scanner has high dead time at a multiplex detector grouping process. Also, the entire-body PET scanner has many oblique line-of-responses. In this work, we study an efficient data acquisition for the entire-body PET scanner using the Monte Carlo simulation. The simulated entire-body PET scanner based on depth-of-interaction detectors has a 2016-mm axial field-of-view (FOV) and an 80-cm ring diameter. Since the entire-body PET scanner has higher single data loss than a conventional PET scanner at grouping circuits, the NECR of the entire-body PET scanner decreases. But, single data loss is mitigated by separating the axially arranged detector into multiple parts. Our choice of 3 groups of axially-arranged detectors has shown to increase the peak NECR by 41%. An appropriate choice of maximum ring difference (MRD) will also maintain the same high performance of sensitivity and high peak NECR while at the same time reduces the data size. The extremely-oblique line of response for large axial FOV does not contribute much to the performance of the scanner. The total sensitivity with full MRD increased only 15% than that with about half MRD. The peak NECR was saturated at about half MRD. The entire-body PET scanner promises to provide a large axial FOV and to have sufficient performance values without using the full data.

Multi-atlas attenuation correction supports full quantification of static and dynamic brain PET data in PET-MR

Science.gov (United States)

Mérida, Inés; Reilhac, Anthonin; Redouté, Jérôme; Heckemann, Rolf A.; Costes, Nicolas; Hammers, Alexander

2017-04-01

work demonstrates that inaccuracies in attenuation maps can induce bias in dynamic brain PET studies. Multi-atlas attenuation correction with MaxProb enables quantification on hybrid PET-MR scanners, eschewing the need for CT.

Evaluation of in vivo quantification accuracy of the Ingenuity-TF PET/MR.

Science.gov (United States)

Maus, Jens; Schramm, Georg; Hofheinz, Frank; Oehme, Liane; Lougovski, Alexandr; Petr, Jan; Platzek, Ivan; Beuthien-Baumann, Bettina; Steinbach, Jörg; Kotzerke, Jörg; van den Hoff, Jörg

2015-10-01

The quantitative accuracy of standardized uptake values (SUVs) and tracer kinetic uptake parameters in patient investigations strongly depends on accurate determination of regional activity concentrations in positron emission tomography (PET) data. This determination rests on the assumption that the given scanner calibration is valid in vivo. In a previous study, we introduced a method to test this assumption. This method allows to identify discrepancies in quantitative accuracy in vivo by comparison of activity concentrations of urine samples measured in a well-counter with activity concentrations extracted from PET images of the bladder. In the present study, we have applied this method to the Philips Ingenuity-TF PET/MR since at the present stage, absolute quantitative accuracy of combined PET/MR systems is still under investigation. Twenty one clinical whole-body F18-FDG scans were included in this study. The bladder region was imaged as the last bed position and urine samples were collected afterward. PET images were reconstructed including MR-based attenuation correction with and without truncation compensation and 3D regions-of-interest (ROIs) of the bladder were delineated by three observers. To exclude partial volume effects, ROIs were concentrically shrunk by 8-10 mm. Then, activity concentrations were determined in the PET images for the bladder and for the urine by measuring the samples in a calibrated well-counter. In addition, linearity measurements of SUV vs singles rate and measurements of the stability of the coincidence rate of "true" events of the PET/MR system were performed over a period of 4 months. The measured in vivo activity concentrations were significantly lower in PET/MR than in the well-counter with a ratio of the former to the latter of 0.756 ± 0.060 (mean ± std. dev.), a range of 0.604-0.858, and a P value of 3.9 ⋅ 10(-14). While the stability measurements of the coincidence rate of "true" events showed no relevant deviation over

Evaluation of in vivo quantification accuracy of the Ingenuity-TF PET/MR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maus, Jens, E-mail: j.maus@hzdr.de; Schramm, Georg; Hofheinz, Frank; Lougovski, Alexandr; Petr, Jan; Steinbach, Jörg [PET Center, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden (Germany); Oehme, Liane; Beuthien-Baumann, Bettina; Kotzerke, Jörg [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Platzek, Ivan [Department of Radiology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Hoff, Jörg van den [PET Center, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden, Germany and Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden (Germany)

2015-10-15

Purpose: The quantitative accuracy of standardized uptake values (SUVs) and tracer kinetic uptake parameters in patient investigations strongly depends on accurate determination of regional activity concentrations in positron emission tomography (PET) data. This determination rests on the assumption that the given scanner calibration is valid in vivo. In a previous study, we introduced a method to test this assumption. This method allows to identify discrepancies in quantitative accuracy in vivo by comparison of activity concentrations of urine samples measured in a well-counter with activity concentrations extracted from PET images of the bladder. In the present study, we have applied this method to the Philips Ingenuity-TF PET/MR since at the present stage, absolute quantitative accuracy of combined PET/MR systems is still under investigation. Methods: Twenty one clinical whole-body F18-FDG scans were included in this study. The bladder region was imaged as the last bed position and urine samples were collected afterward. PET images were reconstructed including MR-based attenuation correction with and without truncation compensation and 3D regions-of-interest (ROIs) of the bladder were delineated by three observers. To exclude partial volume effects, ROIs were concentrically shrunk by 8–10 mm. Then, activity concentrations were determined in the PET images for the bladder and for the urine by measuring the samples in a calibrated well-counter. In addition, linearity measurements of SUV vs singles rate and measurements of the stability of the coincidence rate of “true” events of the PET/MR system were performed over a period of 4 months. Results: The measured in vivo activity concentrations were significantly lower in PET/MR than in the well-counter with a ratio of the former to the latter of 0.756 ± 0.060 (mean ± std. dev.), a range of 0.604–0.858, and a P value of 3.9 ⋅ 10{sup −14}. While the stability measurements of the coincidence rate of �

Evaluation of Dixon Sequence on Hybrid PET/MR Compared with Contrast-Enhanced PET/CT for PET-Positive Lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Ju Hye; Cho, Ihn Ho; Kong, Eun Jung; Chun, Kyung Ah

2014-01-01

Hybrid positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging performs a two-point Dixon MR sequence for attenuation correction. However, MR data in hybrid PET/MR should provide anatomic and morphologic information as well as an attenuation map. We evaluated the Dixon sequence of hybrid PET/MR for anatomic correlation of PET-positive lesions compared with contrast-enhanced PET/computed tomography (CT) in patients with oncologic diseases. Twelve patients underwent a single injection, dual imaging protocol. PET/CT was performed with an intravenous contrast agent (85±13 min after 18 F-FDG injection of 403± 45 MBq) and then (125±19 min after injection) PET/MR was performed. Attenuation correction and anatomic allocation of PET were performed using contrast-enhanced CT for PET/CT and Dixon MR sequence for hybrid PET/MR. The Dixon MR sequence and contrast-enhanced CT were compared for anatomic correlation of PET-positive lesions (scoring scale ranging from 0 to 3 for visual ratings). Additionally, standardized uptake values (SUVs) for the detected lesions were assessed for quantitative comparison. Both hybrid PET/MR and contrast-enhanced PET/CT identified 55 lesions with increased FDG uptake in ten patients. In total, 28 lymph nodes, 11 bone lesions, 3 dermal nodules, 3 pleural thickening lesions, 2 thyroid nodules, 1 pancreas, 1 liver, 1 ovary, 1 uterus, 1 breast, 1 soft tissue and 2 lung lesions were present. The best performance was observed for anatomic correlation of PET findings by the contrast-enhanced CT scans (contrast-enhanced CT, 2.64± 0.70; in-phase, 1.29±1.01; opposed-phase, 1.29±1.15; water-weighted, 1.71±1.07; fat weighted, 0.56±1.03). A significant difference was observed between the scores obtained from the contrast-enhanced CT and all four coregistered Dixon MR images. Quantitative evaluation revealed a high correlation between the SUVs measured with hybrid PET/MR (SUVmean, 2.63±1.62; SUVmax, 4.30±2.88) and contrast-enhanced PET

Evaluation of Dixon Sequence on Hybrid PET/MR Compared with Contrast-Enhanced PET/CT for PET-Positive Lesions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Ju Hye; Cho, Ihn Ho; Kong, Eun Jung; Chun, Kyung Ah [Yeungnam Univ. Hospital, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

2014-03-15

Hybrid positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging performs a two-point Dixon MR sequence for attenuation correction. However, MR data in hybrid PET/MR should provide anatomic and morphologic information as well as an attenuation map. We evaluated the Dixon sequence of hybrid PET/MR for anatomic correlation of PET-positive lesions compared with contrast-enhanced PET/computed tomography (CT) in patients with oncologic diseases. Twelve patients underwent a single injection, dual imaging protocol. PET/CT was performed with an intravenous contrast agent (85±13 min after {sup 18}F-FDG injection of 403± 45 MBq) and then (125±19 min after injection) PET/MR was performed. Attenuation correction and anatomic allocation of PET were performed using contrast-enhanced CT for PET/CT and Dixon MR sequence for hybrid PET/MR. The Dixon MR sequence and contrast-enhanced CT were compared for anatomic correlation of PET-positive lesions (scoring scale ranging from 0 to 3 for visual ratings). Additionally, standardized uptake values (SUVs) for the detected lesions were assessed for quantitative comparison. Both hybrid PET/MR and contrast-enhanced PET/CT identified 55 lesions with increased FDG uptake in ten patients. In total, 28 lymph nodes, 11 bone lesions, 3 dermal nodules, 3 pleural thickening lesions, 2 thyroid nodules, 1 pancreas, 1 liver, 1 ovary, 1 uterus, 1 breast, 1 soft tissue and 2 lung lesions were present. The best performance was observed for anatomic correlation of PET findings by the contrast-enhanced CT scans (contrast-enhanced CT, 2.64± 0.70; in-phase, 1.29±1.01; opposed-phase, 1.29±1.15; water-weighted, 1.71±1.07; fat weighted, 0.56±1.03). A significant difference was observed between the scores obtained from the contrast-enhanced CT and all four coregistered Dixon MR images. Quantitative evaluation revealed a high correlation between the SUVs measured with hybrid PET/MR (SUVmean, 2.63±1.62; SUVmax, 4.30±2.88) and contrast

Dedicated brain PET system of PET/MR for brain research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Li; Liu, Yaqiang; Ma, Tianyu; Wang, Shi; Wei, Qingyang; Xu, Tianpeng

2015-01-01

This work is to replace PET ring in human brain PET/MR system with a dedicated wearable PET insert, aimed at improving both patient feasibility and system performance for brain imaging. The designed PET/MR system includes two parts: the inside parts, including a radio frequency (RF) coil and PET ring, are mounted on patient’s head, and the outside part, a MR imager, is dependent of patient. The RF coil is the innermost layer, surrounded by an outer PET-ring layer. They are supported by a MRcompatible structure. And both RF coil and PET detectors are placed inside a standard clinical 3-T MR imager. From the design of the system we can infer that some advantages can be achieved. First, high sensitivity will be achieved with the same amount crystals as the PET ring is more close to region-of-interest area, at a reduced cost. Second, by using a 2-layer depth of interaction (DOI) detector, the parallax effect can be minimized. The resolution will benefit from short positron range caused by magnetic field and smaller ring diameter will also reduce the effect of non-collinearity. Thirdly, as the PET ring is mounted on head, impact of patient motion will be reduced.

Dedicated brain PET system of PET/MR for brain research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng, Li; Liu, Yaqiang; Ma, Tianyu; Wang, Shi; Wei, Qingyang; Xu, Tianpeng [Institute of Medical Physics, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing (China)

2015-05-18

This work is to replace PET ring in human brain PET/MR system with a dedicated wearable PET insert, aimed at improving both patient feasibility and system performance for brain imaging. The designed PET/MR system includes two parts: the inside parts, including a radio frequency (RF) coil and PET ring, are mounted on patient’s head, and the outside part, a MR imager, is dependent of patient. The RF coil is the innermost layer, surrounded by an outer PET-ring layer. They are supported by a MRcompatible structure. And both RF coil and PET detectors are placed inside a standard clinical 3-T MR imager. From the design of the system we can infer that some advantages can be achieved. First, high sensitivity will be achieved with the same amount crystals as the PET ring is more close to region-of-interest area, at a reduced cost. Second, by using a 2-layer depth of interaction (DOI) detector, the parallax effect can be minimized. The resolution will benefit from short positron range caused by magnetic field and smaller ring diameter will also reduce the effect of non-collinearity. Thirdly, as the PET ring is mounted on head, impact of patient motion will be reduced.

Reproducibility of Quantitative Brain Imaging Using a PET-Only and a Combined PET/MR System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, Martin L; Muzik, Otto; Beyer, Thomas

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of migrating a quantitative brain imaging protocol from a positron emission tomography (PET)-only system to an integrated PET/MR system. Potential differences in both absolute radiotracer concentration as well as in the derived kinetic paramet...

Development of PET insert for simultaneous PET/MR imaging of human brain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Jiwoong; Choi, Yong; Jung, Jin Ho; Kim, Sangsu; Im, Ki Chun; Lim, Hyun Keong [Molecular Imaging Research & Education (MiRe) Laboratory, Department of Electronic Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Changheun; Park, HyunWook; Cho, Gyuseong [Departments of Electrical Engineering and Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-07-29

Recently, there has been great interest on the development of combined PET/MR, which is a useful tool for both functional and anatomic imaging. The purpose of this study was to develop a MR compatible PET insert for simultaneous PET and MR imaging of human brain and to evaluate the performance of the hybrid PET-MRI. The PET insert consisted of 18 detector blocks arranged in a ring of 390 mm diameter with 60 mm axial FOV. Each detector block was composed of 4 × 4 matrix of detector modules, each of which consisted of a 4 × 4 array LYSO coupled to a 4 × 4 GAPD array. The PET gantry was shielded with gold-plated conductive fabric tapes. The charge signals of PET detector transferred via 4 m long flat cables were fed into the position decoder circuits (PDCs) and then transferred to FPGA-embedded DAQ modules. The PDCs and DAQ modules were enclosed in an aluminum box and located at the rear of the MR bore inside MRI room. 3-T human MRIs of two different vendors were used to evaluate the MR compatibility of developed PET insert. No significant changes of the PET performance and the homogeneity of MR images caused by the non-compatibility of PET-MRI were observed with the 2 different MRIs. The signal intensities of MR images were slightly degraded (<3.6%) with the both MRI systems. The difference between independently and simultaneously acquired PET images of brain phantom was negligibly small (<4.3%). High quality simultaneous brain PET and MRI of 3 normal volunteers were successfully acquired. Experimental results indicate that the high performance compact and lightweight PET insert for hybrid PET/MRI, which could be utilized with the MRI from various manufactures, can be developed using GAPD arrays and charge signal transmission method proposed in this study.

Simultaneous Hyperpolarized 13C-Pyruvate MRI and 18F-FDG PET (HyperPET) in 10 Dogs with Cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gutte, Henrik; Hansen, Adam E; Larsen, Majbrit M E

2015-01-01

with biopsy-verified spontaneous malignant tumors were included for imaging. All dogs underwent a protocol of simultaneous (18)F-FDG PET, anatomic MR, and hyperpolarized dynamic nuclear polarization with (13)C-pyruvate imaging. The data were acquired using a combined clinical PET/MR imaging scanner. We found...... that combined (18)F-FDG PET and (13)C-pyruvate MRS imaging was possible in a single session of approximately 2 h. A continuous workflow was obtained with the injection of (18)F-FDG when the dogs was placed in the PET/MR scanner. (13)C-MRS dynamic acquisition demonstrated in an axial slab increased (13)C......With the introduction of combined PET/MR spectroscopic (MRS) imaging, it is now possible to directly and indirectly image the Warburg effect with hyperpolarized (13)C-pyruvate and (18)F-FDG PET imaging, respectively, via a technique we have named hyperPET. The main purpose of this present study...

Performance of a high sensitivity time-of-flight PET ring operating simultaneously within a 3T MR system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levin, Craig S; Jansen, Floris; Deller, Tim; Maramraju, Sri Harsha; Grant, Alex; Iagaru, Andrei

2014-01-01

A time-of-flight (TOF)-PET/MR research system installed at Stanford will be used to test the hypotheses that (a) it is possible to acquire simultaneous TOF-PET and 3T MR data while achieving uncompromised performance in both modalities and (b) simultaneous TOF-PET/MR is a tool for multi-parameter characterization of disease. In this paper we will describe the design as well as performance measurements both for the standalone PET ring, and with the two systems integrated. We will also show a selection of clinical images to compare the performance of the integrated TOF-PET/MR system with that of a state-of-the-art PET/CT system.

Magnetic Resonance-based Motion Correction for Quantitative PET in Simultaneous PET-MR Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Rakvongthai, Yothin; El Fakhri, Georges

2017-07-01

Motion degrades image quality and quantitation of PET images, and is an obstacle to quantitative PET imaging. Simultaneous PET-MR offers a tool that can be used for correcting the motion in PET images by using anatomic information from MR imaging acquired concurrently. Motion correction can be performed by transforming a set of reconstructed PET images into the same frame or by incorporating the transformation into the system model and reconstructing the motion-corrected image. Several phantom and patient studies have validated that MR-based motion correction strategies have great promise for quantitative PET imaging in simultaneous PET-MR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous PET and MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yiping Shao; Cherry, Simon R.; Meadors, Ken; Siegel, Stefan; Silverman, Robert W.; Farahani, Keyvan; Marsden, Paul K.

1997-01-01

We have developed a prototype PET detector which is compatible with a clinical MRI system to provide simultaneous PET and MR imaging. This single-slice PET system consists of 48 2x2x10mm 3 LSO crystals in a 38 mm diameter ring configuration that can be placed inside the receiver coil of the MRI system, coupled to three multi-channel photomultipliers housed outside the main magnetic field via 4 m long and 2 mm diameter optical fibres. The PET system exhibits 2 mm spatial resolution, 41% energy resolution at 511 keV and 20 ns timing resolution. Simultaneous PET and MR phantom images were successfully acquired. (author)

Feasibility of simultaneous PET/MR of the carotid artery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ripa, Rasmus S; Knudsen, Andreas; Hag, Anne Mette F

2013-01-01

The study aimed at comparing PET/MR to PET/CT for imaging the carotid arteries in patients with known increased risk of atherosclerosis. Six HIV-positive men underwent sequential PET/MR and PET/CT of the carotid arteries after injection of 400 MBq of (18)F-FDG. PET/MR was performed a median of 131......) indicating that the luminal (18)F-FDG content had minimal influence on the values. The study shows for the first time that simultaneous PET/MR of the carotid arteries is feasible in patients with increased risk of atherosclerosis. Quantification of (18)F-FDG uptake correlated well between PET/MR and PET...

Deep Learning MR Imaging-based Attenuation Correction for PET/MR Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Jang, Hyungseok; Kijowski, Richard; Bradshaw, Tyler; McMillan, Alan B

2018-02-01

Purpose To develop and evaluate the feasibility of deep learning approaches for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-based attenuation correction (AC) (termed deep MRAC) in brain positron emission tomography (PET)/MR imaging. Materials and Methods A PET/MR imaging AC pipeline was built by using a deep learning approach to generate pseudo computed tomographic (CT) scans from MR images. A deep convolutional auto-encoder network was trained to identify air, bone, and soft tissue in volumetric head MR images coregistered to CT data for training. A set of 30 retrospective three-dimensional T1-weighted head images was used to train the model, which was then evaluated in 10 patients by comparing the generated pseudo CT scan to an acquired CT scan. A prospective study was carried out for utilizing simultaneous PET/MR imaging for five subjects by using the proposed approach. Analysis of covariance and paired-sample t tests were used for statistical analysis to compare PET reconstruction error with deep MRAC and two existing MR imaging-based AC approaches with CT-based AC. Results Deep MRAC provides an accurate pseudo CT scan with a mean Dice coefficient of 0.971 ± 0.005 for air, 0.936 ± 0.011 for soft tissue, and 0.803 ± 0.021 for bone. Furthermore, deep MRAC provides good PET results, with average errors of less than 1% in most brain regions. Significantly lower PET reconstruction errors were realized with deep MRAC (-0.7% ± 1.1) compared with Dixon-based soft-tissue and air segmentation (-5.8% ± 3.1) and anatomic CT-based template registration (-4.8% ± 2.2). Conclusion The authors developed an automated approach that allows generation of discrete-valued pseudo CT scans (soft tissue, bone, and air) from a single high-spatial-resolution diagnostic-quality three-dimensional MR image and evaluated it in brain PET/MR imaging. This deep learning approach for MR imaging-based AC provided reduced PET reconstruction error relative to a CT-based standard within the brain compared

Software-based PET-MR image coregistration: combined PET-MRI for the rest of us

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robertson, Matthew S.; Liu, Xinyang; Vyas, Pranav K.; Safdar, Nabile M.; Plishker, William; Zaki, George F.; Shekhar, Raj

2016-01-01

With the introduction of hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI), a new imaging option to acquire multimodality images with complementary anatomical and functional information has become available. Compared with hybrid PET/computed tomography (CT), hybrid PET/MRI is capable of providing superior anatomical detail while removing the radiation exposure associated with CT. The early adoption of hybrid PET/MRI, however, has been limited. To provide a viable alternative to the hybrid PET/MRI hardware by validating a software-based solution for PET-MR image coregistration. A fully automated, graphics processing unit-accelerated 3-D deformable image registration technique was used to align PET (acquired as PET/CT) and MR image pairs of 17 patients (age range: 10 months-21 years, mean: 10 years) who underwent PET/CT and body MRI (chest, abdomen or pelvis), which were performed within a 28-day (mean: 10.5 days) interval. MRI data for most of these cases included single-station post-contrast axial T1-weighted images. Following registration, maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max ) values observed in coregistered PET (cPET) and the original PET were compared for 82 volumes of interest. In addition, we calculated the target registration error as a measure of the quality of image coregistration, and evaluated the algorithm's performance in the context of interexpert variability. The coregistration execution time averaged 97±45 s. The overall relative SUV max difference was 7% between cPET-MRI and PET/CT. The average target registration error was 10.7±6.6 mm, which compared favorably with the typical voxel size (diagonal distance) of 8.0 mm (typical resolution: 0.66 mm x 0.66 mm x 8 mm) for MRI and 6.1 mm (typical resolution: 3.65 mm x 3.65 mm x 3.27 mm) for PET. The variability in landmark identification did not show statistically significant differences between the algorithm and a typical expert. We have presented a software

Software-based PET-MR image coregistration: combined PET-MRI for the rest of us

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robertson, Matthew S.; Liu, Xinyang; Vyas, Pranav K.; Safdar, Nabile M. [Children' s National Health System, Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Washington, DC (United States); Plishker, William; Zaki, George F. [IGI Technologies, Inc., College Park, MD (United States); Shekhar, Raj [Children' s National Health System, Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Washington, DC (United States); IGI Technologies, Inc., College Park, MD (United States)

2016-10-15

With the introduction of hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI), a new imaging option to acquire multimodality images with complementary anatomical and functional information has become available. Compared with hybrid PET/computed tomography (CT), hybrid PET/MRI is capable of providing superior anatomical detail while removing the radiation exposure associated with CT. The early adoption of hybrid PET/MRI, however, has been limited. To provide a viable alternative to the hybrid PET/MRI hardware by validating a software-based solution for PET-MR image coregistration. A fully automated, graphics processing unit-accelerated 3-D deformable image registration technique was used to align PET (acquired as PET/CT) and MR image pairs of 17 patients (age range: 10 months-21 years, mean: 10 years) who underwent PET/CT and body MRI (chest, abdomen or pelvis), which were performed within a 28-day (mean: 10.5 days) interval. MRI data for most of these cases included single-station post-contrast axial T1-weighted images. Following registration, maximum standardized uptake value (SUV{sub max}) values observed in coregistered PET (cPET) and the original PET were compared for 82 volumes of interest. In addition, we calculated the target registration error as a measure of the quality of image coregistration, and evaluated the algorithm's performance in the context of interexpert variability. The coregistration execution time averaged 97±45 s. The overall relative SUV{sub max} difference was 7% between cPET-MRI and PET/CT. The average target registration error was 10.7±6.6 mm, which compared favorably with the typical voxel size (diagonal distance) of 8.0 mm (typical resolution: 0.66 mm x 0.66 mm x 8 mm) for MRI and 6.1 mm (typical resolution: 3.65 mm x 3.65 mm x 3.27 mm) for PET. The variability in landmark identification did not show statistically significant differences between the algorithm and a typical expert. We have presented a software

A 16-channel MR coil for simultaneous PET/MR imaging in breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dregely, Isabel; Lanz, Titus; Mueller, Matthias F.; Metz, Stephan; Kuschan, Marika; Nimbalkar, Manoj; Ziegler, Sibylle I.; Nekolla, Stephan G.; Schwaiger, Markus; Bundschuh, Ralph A.; Haase, Axel

2015-01-01

To implement and evaluate a dedicated receiver array coil for simultaneous positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging in breast cancer. A 16-channel receiver coil design was optimized for simultaneous PET/MR imaging. To assess MR performance, the signal-to-noise ratio, parallel imaging capability and image quality was evaluated in phantoms, volunteers and patients and compared to clinical standard protocols. For PET evaluation, quantitative 18 F-FDG PET images of phantoms and seven patients (14 lesions) were compared to images without the coil. In PET image reconstruction, a CT-based template of the coil was combined with the MR-acquired attenuation correction (AC) map of the phantom/patient. MR image quality was comparable to clinical MR-only examinations. PET evaluation in phantoms showed regionally varying underestimation of the standardised uptake value (SUV; mean 22 %) due to attenuation caused by the coil. This was improved by implementing the CT-based coil template in the AC (<2 % SUV underestimation). Patient data indicated that including the coil in the AC increased the SUV values in the lesions (21 ± 9 %). Using a dedicated PET/MR breast coil, state-of-the-art MRI was possible. In PET, accurate quantification and image homogeneity could be achieved if a CT-template of this coil was included in the AC for PET image reconstruction. (orig.)

Simultaneous trimodal MR-PET-EEG imaging for the investigation of resting state networks in humans

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neuner, Irene [RWTH Aachen (Germany); Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH (Germany); Mauler, Joerg; Arrubla, Jorge; Kops, Elena Rota; Tellmann, Lutz; Scheins, Jurgen; Herzog, Hans [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH (Germany); Langen, Karl Josef; Shah, Jon [RWTH Aachen (Germany)

2015-05-18

Glucose is the principal source of energy for the brain and its relationship to neuronal activity are poorly understood. The human brain uses 80% of its energy for ongoing neural activity that occurs in isolation from any particular stimulus. A promising tool for the investigation of glucose metabolism and its relationship to neuronal activity is simultaneous trimodal MR-PET-EEG data imaging. We here demonstrate the first in vivo human trimodal data at 3T. In one session MR, FDG-PET and EEG data were recorded simultaneously at a 3T hybrid MR-BrainPET scanner (Siemens, Germany) equipped with a 32 channel MR-compatible EEG system (Brain Products, Germany) in 11 healthy volunteers (11 males, mean age: 25.2 years SD: 1.2). MR and EEG data acquisition MP-RAGE (TR = 2250 ms, TE= 3.03 ms, 176 sagittal slices. 1 mm, GRAPPA factor 2. MR-based attenuation correction of PET data via UTE: flip angle=15. Two different echo times TE1=0.07 and TE2=2.46 ms, TR=200 ms. EPI sequence (TR: 2.2 s, TE: 30 ms, FOV: 200 mm, 165 volumes, The subjects were requested to close their eyes and relax EEG data were recorded using a 32-channel MR compatible EEG system. App. 200 MBq/μmol FDG were injected, data were acquired in list mode and iteratively reconstructed with all necessary corrections into 153 slices with 256 x 256 voxels sized 1.25 mm{sup 3}. The trimodal approach, recording PET data, MR data and EEG data simultaneously was successful. The high neuronal activity of the structures within the default mode network occurs on the basis of a high glucose consumption rate within the default node network. The activity of the default mode is not tied to a special EEG frequency band.

Simultaneous trimodal MR-PET-EEG imaging for the investigation of resting state networks in humans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuner, Irene; Mauler, Joerg; Arrubla, Jorge; Kops, Elena Rota; Tellmann, Lutz; Scheins, Jurgen; Herzog, Hans; Langen, Karl Josef; Shah, Jon

2015-01-01

Glucose is the principal source of energy for the brain and its relationship to neuronal activity are poorly understood. The human brain uses 80% of its energy for ongoing neural activity that occurs in isolation from any particular stimulus. A promising tool for the investigation of glucose metabolism and its relationship to neuronal activity is simultaneous trimodal MR-PET-EEG data imaging. We here demonstrate the first in vivo human trimodal data at 3T. In one session MR, FDG-PET and EEG data were recorded simultaneously at a 3T hybrid MR-BrainPET scanner (Siemens, Germany) equipped with a 32 channel MR-compatible EEG system (Brain Products, Germany) in 11 healthy volunteers (11 males, mean age: 25.2 years SD: 1.2). MR and EEG data acquisition MP-RAGE (TR = 2250 ms, TE= 3.03 ms, 176 sagittal slices. 1 mm, GRAPPA factor 2. MR-based attenuation correction of PET data via UTE: flip angle=15. Two different echo times TE1=0.07 and TE2=2.46 ms, TR=200 ms. EPI sequence (TR: 2.2 s, TE: 30 ms, FOV: 200 mm, 165 volumes, The subjects were requested to close their eyes and relax EEG data were recorded using a 32-channel MR compatible EEG system. App. 200 MBq/μmol FDG were injected, data were acquired in list mode and iteratively reconstructed with all necessary corrections into 153 slices with 256 x 256 voxels sized 1.25 mm 3 . The trimodal approach, recording PET data, MR data and EEG data simultaneously was successful. The high neuronal activity of the structures within the default mode network occurs on the basis of a high glucose consumption rate within the default node network. The activity of the default mode is not tied to a special EEG frequency band.

Compensation strategies for PET scanners with unconventional scanner geometry

CERN Document Server

Gundlich, B; Oehler, M

2006-01-01

The small animal PET scanner ClearPET®Neuro, developed at the Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH in cooperation with the Crystal Clear Collaboration (CERN), represents scanners with an unconventional geometry: due to axial and transaxial detector gaps ClearPet®Neuro delivers inhomogeneous sinograms with missing data. When filtered backprojection (FBP) or Fourier rebinning (FORE) are applied, strong geometrical artifacts appear in the images. In this contribution we present a method that takes the geometrical sensitivity into account and converts the measured sinograms into homogeneous and complete data. By this means artifactfree images are achieved using FBP or FORE. Besides an advantageous measurement setup that reduces inhomogeneities and data gaps in the sinograms, a modification of the measured sinograms is necessary. This modification includes two steps: a geometrical normalization and corrections for missing data. To normalize the measured sinograms, computed sinograms are used that describe the geometric...

CT with a CMOS flat panel detector integrated on the YAP-(S)PET scanner for in vivo small animal imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Domenico, Giovanni; Cesca, Nicola; Zavattini, Guido; Auricchio, Natalia; Gambaccini, Mauro

2007-01-01

Several research groups are pursuing multimodality simultaneous functional and morphological imaging. In this line of research the high resolution YAP-(S)PET small animal integrated PET-SPECT imaging system, constructed by our group of medical physics at the University of Ferrara, is being upgraded with a computed tomography (CT). In this way it will be possible to perform in vivo molecular and genomic imaging studies on small animals (such as mice and rats) and at the same time obtain morphological information necessary for both attenuation correction and accurate localization of the region under investigation. We have take simultaneous PET-CT and SPECT-CT images of phantoms obtained with a single scanner

Temperature dependence of APD-based PET scanners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keereman, Vincent; Van Holen, Roel; Vandenberghe, Stefaan; Vanhove, Christian

2013-01-01

Purpose: Solid state detectors such as avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are increasingly being used in PET detectors. One of the disadvantages of APDs is the strong decrease of their gain factor with increasing ambient temperature. The light yield of most scintillation crystals also decreases when ambient temperature is increased. Both effects lead to considerable temperature dependence of the performance of APD-based PET scanners. In this paper, the authors propose a model for this dependence and the performance of the LabPET8 APD-based small animal PET scanner is evaluated at different temperatures.Methods: The model proposes that the effect of increasing temperature on the energy histogram of an APD-based PET scanner is a compression of the histogram along the energy axis. The energy histogram of the LabPET system was acquired at 21 °C and 25 °C to verify the validity of this model. Using the proposed model, the effect of temperature on system sensitivity was simulated for different detector temperature coefficients and temperatures. Subsequently, the effect of short term and long term temperature changes on the peak sensitivity of the LabPET system was measured. The axial sensitivity profile was measured at 21 °C and 24 °C following the NEMA NU 4-2008 standard. System spatial resolution was also evaluated. Furthermore, scatter fraction, count losses and random coincidences were evaluated at different temperatures. Image quality was also investigated.Results: As predicted by the model, the photopeak energy at 25 °C is lower than at 21 °C with a shift of approximately 6% per °C. Simulations showed that this results in an approximately linear decrease of sensitivity when temperature is increased from 21 °C to 24 °C and energy thresholds are constant. Experimental evaluation of the peak sensitivity at different temperatures showed a strong linear correlation for short term (2.32 kcps/MBq/°C = 12%/°C, R = −0.95) and long term (1.92 kcps/MBq/°C = 10%/�

A new PET detector concept for compact preclinical high-resolution hybrid MR-PET

Science.gov (United States)

Berneking, Arne; Gola, Alberto; Ferri, Alessandro; Finster, Felix; Rucatti, Daniele; Paternoster, Giovanni; Jon Shah, N.; Piemonte, Claudio; Lerche, Christoph

2018-04-01

This work presents a new PET detector concept for compact preclinical hybrid MR-PET. The detector concept is based on Linearly-Graded SiPM produced with current FBK RGB-HD technology. One 7.75 mm x 7.75 mm large sensor chip is coupled with optical grease to a black coated 8 mm x 8 mm large and 3 mm thick monolithic LYSO crystal. The readout is obtained from four readout channels with the linear encoding based on integrated resistors and the Center of Gravity approach. To characterize the new detector concept, the spatial and energy resolutions were measured. Therefore, the measurement setup was prepared to radiate a collimated beam to 25 different points perpendicular to the monolithic scintillator crystal. Starting in the center point of the crystal at 0 mm / 0 mm and sampling a grid with a pitch of 1.75 mm, all significant points of the detector were covered by the collimator beam. The measured intrinsic spatial resolution (FWHM) was 0.74 +/- 0.01 mm in x- and 0.69 +/- 0.01 mm in the y-direction at the center of the detector. At the same point, the measured energy resolution (FWHM) was 13.01 +/- 0.05 %. The mean intrinsic spatial resolution (FWHM) over the whole detector was 0.80 +/- 0.28 mm in x- and 0.72 +/- 0.19 mm in y-direction. The energy resolution (FWHM) of the detector was between 13 and 17.3 % with an average energy resolution of 15.7 +/- 1.0 %. Due to the reduced thickness, the sensitivity of this gamma detector is low but still higher than pixelated designs with the same thickness due to the monolithic crystals. Combining compact design, high spatial resolution, and high sensitivity, the detector concept is particularly suitable for applications where the scanner bore size is limited and high resolution is required - as is the case in small animal hybrid MR-PET.

Concurrent Respiratory Motion Correction of Abdominal PET and DCE-MRI using a Compressed Sensing Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuin, Niccolo; Catalano, Onofrio Antonio; Scipioni, Michele; Canjels, Lisanne P W; Izquierdo, David; Pedemonte, Stefano; Catana, Ciprian

2018-01-25

Purpose: We present an approach for concurrent reconstruction of respiratory motion compensated abdominal DCE-MRI and PET data in an integrated PET/MR scanner. The MR and PET reconstructions share the same motion vector fields (MVFs) derived from radial MR data; the approach is robust to changes in respiratory pattern and do not increase the total acquisition time. Methods: PET and DCE-MRI data of 12 oncological patients were simultaneously acquired for 6 minutes on an integrated PET/MR system after administration of 18 F-FDG and gadoterate meglumine. Golden-angle radial MR data were continuously acquired simultaneously with PET data and sorted into multiple motion phases based on a respiratory signal derived directly from the radial MR data. The resulting multidimensional dataset was reconstructed using a compressed sensing approach that exploits sparsity among respiratory phases. MVFs obtained using the full 6-minute (MC_6-min) and only the last 1 minute (MC_1-min) of data were incorporated into the PET reconstruction to obtain motion-corrected PET images and in an MR iterative reconstruction algorithm to produce a series of motion-corrected DCE-MRI images (moco_GRASP). The motion-correction methods (MC_6-min and MC_1-min) were evaluated by qualitative analysis of the MR images and quantitative analysis of maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUV max , SUVmean), contrast, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and lesion volume in the PET images. Results: Motion corrected MC_6-min PET images demonstrated 30%, 23%, 34% and 18% increases in average SUV max , SUVmean, contrast and SNR, and an average 40% reduction in lesion volume with respect to the non-motion-corrected PET images. The changes in these figures of merit were smaller but still substantial for the MC_1-min protocol: 19%, 10%, 15% and 9% increases in average SUV max , SUVmean, contrast and SNR; and a 28% reduction in lesion volume. Moco_GRASP images were deemed of acceptable or better diagnostic image

Motion correction in simultaneous PET/MR brain imaging using sparsely sampled MR navigators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keller, Sune H; Hansen, Casper; Hansen, Christian

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: We present a study performing motion correction (MC) of PET using MR navigators sampled between other protocolled MR sequences during simultaneous PET/MR brain scanning with the purpose of evaluating its clinical feasibility and the potential improvement of image quality. FINDINGS......: Twenty-nine human subjects had a 30-min [(11)C]-PiB PET scan with simultaneous MR including 3D navigators sampled at six time points, which were used to correct the PET image for rigid head motion. Five subjects with motion greater than 4 mm were reconstructed into six frames (one for each navigator...

Subject-specific bone attenuation correction for brain PET/MR: can ZTE-MRI substitute CT scan accurately?

Science.gov (United States)

Khalifé, Maya; Fernandez, Brice; Jaubert, Olivier; Soussan, Michael; Brulon, Vincent; Buvat, Irène; Comtat, Claude

2017-10-01

In brain PET/MR applications, accurate attenuation maps are required for accurate PET image quantification. An implemented attenuation correction (AC) method for brain imaging is the single-atlas approach that estimates an AC map from an averaged CT template. As an alternative, we propose to use a zero echo time (ZTE) pulse sequence to segment bone, air and soft tissue. A linear relationship between histogram normalized ZTE intensity and measured CT density in Hounsfield units (HU ) in bone has been established thanks to a CT-MR database of 16 patients. Continuous AC maps were computed based on the segmented ZTE by setting a fixed linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) to air and soft tissue and by using the linear relationship to generate continuous μ values for the bone. Additionally, for the purpose of comparison, four other AC maps were generated: a ZTE derived AC map with a fixed LAC for the bone, an AC map based on the single-atlas approach as provided by the PET/MR manufacturer, a soft-tissue only AC map and, finally, the CT derived attenuation map used as the gold standard (CTAC). All these AC maps were used with different levels of smoothing for PET image reconstruction with and without time-of-flight (TOF). The subject-specific AC map generated by combining ZTE-based segmentation and linear scaling of the normalized ZTE signal into HU was found to be a good substitute for the measured CTAC map in brain PET/MR when used with a Gaussian smoothing kernel of 4~mm corresponding to the PET scanner intrinsic resolution. As expected TOF reduces AC error regardless of the AC method. The continuous ZTE-AC performed better than the other alternative MR derived AC methods, reducing the quantification error between the MRAC corrected PET image and the reference CTAC corrected PET image.

Performance characteristics of 3D GSO PET/CT scanner (Philips GEMINI PET/CT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jin Su; Lee, Jae Sung; Lee, Byeong Il; Lee, Dong Soo; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul

2004-01-01

Philips GEMINI is a newly introduced whole-body GSO PET/CT scanner. In this study, performance of the scanner including spatial resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction, noise equivalent count ratio (NECR) was measured utilizing NEMA NU2-2001 standard protocol and compared with performance of LSO, BGO crystal scanner. GEMINI is composed of the Philips ALLEGRO PET and MX8000 D multi-slice CT scanners. The PET scanner has 28 detector segments which have an array of 29 by 22 GSO crystals (4*6*20 mm), covering axial FOV of 18 cm. PET data to measure spatial resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction, and NECR were acquired in 3D mode according to the NEMA NU2 protocols (coincidence window: 8 ns, energy window : 409∼664 keV). For the measurement of spatial resolution, images were reconstructed with FBP using ramp filter and an iterative reconstruction algorithm, 3D RAMLA. Data for sensitivity measurement were acquired using NEMA sensitivity phantom filled with F-18 solution and surrounded by 1∼5 aluminum sleeves after we confirmed that dead time loss did not exceed 1%. To measure NECR and scatter fraction, 1110 MBq of F-18 solution was injected into a NEMA scatter phantom with a length of 70 cm and dynamic scan with 20-min frame duration was acquired for 7 half-lives. Oblique sinograms were collapsed into transaxial slices using single slice rebinning method, and true to background (scatter + random) ratio for each slice and frame was estimated. Scatter fraction was determined by averaging the true to background ratio of last 3 frames in which the dead time loss was below 1%. Transverse and axial resolutions at 1 cm radius were (1) 5.3 and 6.5 mm (FBP), (2) 5.1 and 5.9 mm (3D RAMLA). Transverse radial, transverse tangential, and axial resolution at 10 cm were (1) 5.7, 5.7, and 7.0 mm (FBP), (2) 5.4, 5.4, and 6.4 mm (3D RAMLA). Attenuation free values of sensitivity were 3,620 counts/sec/MBq at the center of transaxial FOV and 4,324 counts/sec/MBq at 10 cm offset

Hybrid FDG-PET/MR compared to FDG-PET/CT in adult lymphoma patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Atkinson, Wendy; Catana, Ciprian; Abramson, Jeremy S; Arabasz, Grae; McDermott, Shanaugh; Catalano, Onofrio; Muse, Victorine; Blake, Michael A; Barnes, Jeffrey; Shelly, Martin; Hochberg, Ephraim; Rosen, Bruce R; Guimaraes, Alexander R

2016-07-01

The goal of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of simultaneous FDG-PET/MR including diffusion compared to FDG-PET/CT in patients with lymphoma. Eighteen patients with a confirmed diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's (NHL) or Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) underwent an IRB-approved, single-injection/dual-imaging protocol consisting of a clinical FDG-PET/CT and subsequent FDG-PET/MR scan. PET images from both modalities were reconstructed iteratively. Attenuation correction was performed using low-dose CT data for PET/CT and Dixon-MR sequences for PET/MR. Diffusion-weighted imaging was performed. SUVmax was measured and compared between modalities and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) using ROI analysis by an experienced radiologist using OsiriX. Strength of correlation between variables was measured using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r p). Of the 18 patients included in this study, 5 had HL and 13 had NHL. The median age was 51 ± 14.8 years. Sixty-five FDG-avid lesions were identified. All FDG-avid lesions were visible with comparable contrast, and therefore initial and follow-up staging was identical between both examinations. SUVmax from FDG-PET/MR [(mean ± sem) (21.3 ± 2.07)] vs. FDG-PET/CT (mean 23.2 ± 2.8) demonstrated a strongly positive correlation [r s = 0.95 (0.94, 0.99); p < 0.0001]. There was no correlation found between ADCmin and SUVmax from FDG-PET/MR [r = 0.17(-0.07, 0.66); p = 0.09]. FDG-PET/MR offers an equivalent whole-body staging examination as compared with PET/CT with an improved radiation safety profile in lymphoma patients. Correlation of ADC to SUVmax was weak, understating their lack of equivalence, but not undermining their potential synergy and differing importance.

Clinical PET/MR Imaging in Oncology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjær, Andreas; Torigian, Drew A.

2016-01-01

. The question, therefore, arises regarding what the future clinical applications of PET/MR imaging will be. In this article, the authors discuss ways in which PET/MR imaging may be used in future applications that justify the added cost, predominantly focusing on oncologic applications. The authors suggest...

Optimization of a partially segmented block detector for MR-compatible small animal PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Ji Yeon; Chung, Yong Hyun; Baek, Cheol-Ha; An, Su Jung; Kim, Hyun-Il; Kim, Kwang Hyun

2011-01-01

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible positron emission tomography (PET) scanners for both clinical and preclinical practice. The aim of this study was to design a novel PET detector module using a segmented block crystal readout with an array of multi-pixel photon counters (MPPCs). A 16.5x16.5x10.0 mm 3 LSO block was segmented into an 11x11 array, and reflective material was used to fill in the cuts to optically isolate the elements. The block was attached to a 4x4 MPPC array (Hamamatsu S11064) of 3.0x3.0 mm 2 detectors to give a total effective area of 144 mm 2 . To visualize all the individual detector elements in this 11x11 detector module, the depth of the cuts was optimized by DETECT2000 simulations. The depth of the cuts determines the spread of scintillation light onto the MPPC array. The accuracy of positioning was evaluated by varying the depth of the cuts from 0.0 to 10.0 mm in steps of 0.5 mm. A spatial resolution of 1.5 mm was achieved using the optimized partially segmented block detector. The simulation results of this study can be used effectively as a guide for parameter optimization for the development of a partially segmented block detector for high-resolution MR-compatible PET scanners.

Imaging performance of LabPET APD-based digital PET scanners for pre-clinical research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergeron, Mélanie; Cadorette, Jules; Beaudoin, Jean-François; Lecomte, Roger; Tétrault, Marc-André; Leroux, Jean-Daniel; Fontaine, Réjean

2014-01-01

The LabPET is an avalanche photodiode (APD) based digital PET scanner with quasi-individual detector read-out and highly parallel electronic architecture for high-performance in vivo molecular imaging of small animals. The scanner is based on LYSO and LGSO scintillation crystals (2×2×12/14 mm 3 ), assembled side-by-side in phoswich pairs read out by an APD. High spatial resolution is achieved through the individual and independent read-out of an individual APD detector for recording impinging annihilation photons. The LabPET exists in three versions, LabPET4 (3.75 cm axial length), LabPET8 (7.5 cm axial length) and LabPET12 (11.4 cm axial length). This paper focuses on the systematic characterization of the three LabPET versions using two different energy window settings to implement a high-efficiency mode (250–650 keV) and a high-resolution mode (350–650 keV) in the most suitable operating conditions. Prior to measurements, a global timing alignment of the scanners and optimization of the APD operating bias have been carried out. Characteristics such as spatial resolution, absolute sensitivity, count rate performance and image quality have been thoroughly investigated following the NEMA NU 4-2008 protocol. Phantom and small animal images were acquired to assess the scanners' suitability for the most demanding imaging tasks in preclinical biomedical research. The three systems achieve the same radial FBP spatial resolution at 5 mm from the field-of-view center: 1.65/3.40 mm (FWHM/FWTM) for an energy threshold of 250 keV and 1.51/2.97 mm for an energy threshold of 350 keV. The absolute sensitivity for an energy window of 250–650 keV is 1.4%/2.6%/4.3% for LabPET4/8/12, respectively. The best count rate performance peaking at 362 kcps is achieved by the LabPET12 with an energy window of 250–650 keV and a mouse phantom (2.5 cm diameter) at an activity of 2.4 MBq ml −1 . With the same phantom, the scatter fraction for all scanners is about

MR-guided joint reconstruction of activity and attenuation in brain PET-MR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mehranian, Abolfazl; Zaidi, Habib; Reader, Andrew J

2017-01-01

by unknown scaling factors. We recently demonstrated that in hybrid PET-MR, the scaling issue of this algorithm can be effectively addressed by imposing MR spatial constraints on the estimation of attenuation maps using a penalized MLAA (P-MLAA(+)) algorithm. With the advent of simultaneous PET-MR systems......, MRI-guided PET image reconstruction has also gained attention for improving the quantitative accuracy of PET images, usually degraded by noise and partial volume effects. The aim of this study is therefore to increase the benefits of MRI information for improving the quantitative accuracy of PET...... as a reference. The simulation results showed that the proposed method can notably improve the visual quality of the PET images by reducing noise while preserving structural boundaries and at the same time improving the quantitative accuracy of the PET images. Our clinical reconstruction results showed...

Evaluation of PET performance and MR compatibility of a preclinical PET/MR insert with digital silicon photomultiplier technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hallen, Patrick; Schug, David; Wehner, Jakob [Department of Physics of Molecular Imaging Systems, RWTH Aachen University (Germany); Weissler, Bjorn [Department of Chemical Application Research, Philips Research (Germany); Gebhardt, Pierre [Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London (United Kingdom); Goldschmidt, Benjamin [Department of Physics of Molecular Imaging Systems, RWTH Aachen University (Germany); Salomon, Andre [Department of Oncology Solutions, Philips Research (Germany); Duppenbecker, Peter [Department of Physics of Molecular Imaging Systems, RWTH Aachen University (Germany); Kiessling, Fabian [Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging, RWTH Aachen University (Germany); Schultz, Volkmar [Department of Physics of Molecular Imaging Systems, RWTH Aachen University (Germany)

2015-05-18

In this work we present detailed characterizations of our preclinical high resolution PET/MR insert based on the Hyperion-IID platform. The PET/MR insert consists of a ring of 10 singles detection modules, each comprising 2x3 scintillation detector stacks. Each detector stack features a 30x30 pixelated LYSO crystal array with a height of 12 mm and a pitch of 1 mm, coupled via a slit 2 mm light guide to a digital SiPM tile. The PET performance is stable under a wide range of operating points. The spatial resolution is below 1Ä,mm and the CRT reaches 260 or 450 ps depending on trigger settings. The energy resolution is 12.6% FWHM. The characterization of the MR compatibility showed no relevant degradation in PET performance during MRI operation. On the MRI side, we observe a degradation in B0 homogeneity from a VRMS of 0.03 ppm to 0.08 ppm with active shimming, while observing only minor degradations in the B0 field. The noise floor is slightly increased by 2-15% without any observable dependence on the activity. The Z gradients induces an observable eddy current inside the PET inserts which can lead to ghosting artifacts for EPI sequences. However, we don't observe any visible image degradation for widely used anatomical imaging sequences such as gradient echo and turbo spin echo sequences. To prove the viability of our PET/MR insert for in vivo small animal studies, we successfully performed a longitudinal mouse study with subcutaneously injected tumor model cells. The simultaneously acquired PET/MR images provide a high level of anatomical information and soft tissue contrast in the MR layer together with a high resolution image of the FDG tracer distribution in the PET layer.

Non-small-cell lung cancer resectability: diagnostic value of PET/MR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fraioli, Francesco; Menezes, Leon; Kayani, Irfan; Syed, Rizwan; O'Meara, Celia; Barnes, Anna; Bomanji, Jamshed B.; Punwani, Shonit; Groves, Ashley M.; Screaton, Nicholas J.; Janes, Samuel M.; Win, Thida; Zaccagna, Fulvio

2015-01-01

To assess the diagnostic performance of PET/MR in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Fifty consecutive consenting patients who underwent routine 18 F-FDG PET/CT for potentially radically treatable lung cancer following a staging CT scan were recruited for PET/MR imaging on the same day. Two experienced readers, unaware of the results with the other modalities, interpreted the PET/MR images independently. Discordances were resolved in consensus. PET/MR TNM staging was compared to surgical staging from thoracotomy as the reference standard in 33 patients. In the remaining 17 nonsurgical patients, TNM was determined based on histology from biopsy, imaging results (CT and PET/CT) and follow-up. ROC curve analysis was used to assess accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the PET/MR in assessing the surgical resectability of primary tumour. The kappa statistic was used to assess interobserver agreement in the PET/MR TNM staging. Two different readers, without knowledge of the PET/MR findings, subsequently separately reviewed the PET/CT images for TNM staging. The generalized kappa statistic was used to determine intermodality agreement between PET/CT and PET/MR for TNM staging. ROC curve analysis showed that PET/MR had a specificity of 92.3 % and a sensitivity of 97.3 % in the determination of resectability with an AUC of 0.95. Interobserver agreement in PET/MR reading ranged from substantial to perfect between the two readers (Cohen's kappa 0.646 - 1) for T stage, N stage and M stage. Intermodality agreement between PET/CT and PET/MR ranged from substantial to almost perfect for T stage, N stage and M stage (Cohen's kappa 0.627 - 0.823). In lung cancer patients PET/MR appears to be a robust technique for preoperative staging. (orig.)

Monitoring scanner calibration using the image-derived arterial blood SUV in whole-body FDG-PET.

Science.gov (United States)

Maus, Jens; Hofheinz, Frank; Apostolova, Ivayla; Kreissl, Michael C; Kotzerke, Jörg; van den Hoff, Jörg

2018-05-15

The current de facto standard for quantification of tumor metabolism in oncological whole-body PET is the standardized uptake value (SUV) approach. SUV determination requires accurate scanner calibration. Residual inaccuracies of the calibration lead to biased SUV values. Especially, this can adversely affect multicenter trials where it is difficult to ensure reliable cross-calibration across participating sites. The goal of the present work was the evaluation of a new method for monitoring scanner calibration utilizing the image-derived arterial blood SUV (BSUV) averaged over a sufficiently large number of whole-body FDG-PET investigations. Data of 681 patients from three sites which underwent routine 18 F-FDG PET/CT or PET/MR were retrospectively analyzed. BSUV was determined in the descending aorta using a three-dimensional ROI concentric to the aorta's centerline. The ROI was delineated in the CT or MRI images and transferred to the PET images. A minimum ROI volume of 5 mL and a concentric safety margin to the aortic wall was observed. Mean BSUV, standard deviation (SD), and standard error of the mean (SE) were computed for three groups of patients at each site, investigated 2 years apart, respectively, with group sizes between 53 and 100 patients. Differences of mean BSUV between the individual groups and sites were determined. SD (SE) of BSUV in the different groups ranged from 14.3 to 20.7% (1.7 to 2.8%). Differences of mean BSUV between intra-site groups were small (1.1-6.3%). Only one out of nine of these differences reached statistical significance. Inter-site differences were distinctly larger (12.6-25.1%) and highly significant (PPET investigations is a viable approach for ensuring consistent scanner calibration over time and across different sites. We propose this approach as a quality control and cross-calibration tool augmenting established phantom-based procedures.

Feasibility of simultaneous PET/MR of the carotid artery: first clinical experience and comparison to PET/CT

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ripa, Rasmus Sejersten; Knudsen, Andreas; Hag, Anne Mette Fisker

2013-01-01

The study aimed at comparing PET/MR to PET/CT for imaging the carotid arteries in patients with known increased risk of atherosclerosis. Six HIV-positive men underwent sequential PET/MR and PET/CT of the carotid arteries after injection of 400 MBq of 18F-FDG. PET/MR was performed a median of 131......) indicating that the luminal 18F-FDG content had minimal influence on the values. The study shows for the first time that simultaneous PET/MR of the carotid arteries is feasible in patients with increased risk of atherosclerosis. Quantification of 18F-FDG uptake correlated well between PET/MR and PET...

Metallic artifacts caused by dental metal prostheses on PET images. A PET/CT phantom study using different PET/CT scanners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimamoto, Hiroaki; Kakimoto, Naoya; Murakami, Shumei; Furukawa, Souhei; Fujino, Kouichi; Hamada, Seiki; Shimosegawa, Eku; Hatazawa, Jun

2009-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of computed tomography (CT) artifacts caused by dental metal prostheses on positron emission tomography (PET) images. A dental arch cast was fixed in a cylindrical water-bath phantom. A spherical phantom positioned in the vicinity of the dental arch cast was used to simulate a tumor. To simulate the tumor imaging, the ratio of the 18 F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose radioactivity concentration of the spherical phantom to that of the water-bath phantom was set at 2.5. A dental bridge composed of a gold-silver-palladium alloy on the right mandibular side was prepared. A spherical phantom was set in the white artifact area on the CT images (site A), in a slightly remote area from the white artifact (site B), and in a black artifact area (site C). A PET/CT scan was performed with and without the metal bridge at each simulated tumor site, and the artifactual influence was evaluated on the axial attenuation-corrected (AC) PET images, in which the simulated tumor produced the strongest accumulation. Measurements were performed using three types of PET/CT scanners (scanners 1 and 2 with CT-based attenuation correction, and 3 with Cesium-137 ( 137 Cs)-based attenuation correction). The influence of the metal bridge was evaluated using the change rate of the SUVmean with and without the metal bridge. At site A, an overestimation was shown (scanner 1: +5.0% and scanner 2: +2.5%), while scanner 3 showed an underestimation of -31.8%. At site B, an overestimation was shown (scanner 1: +2.1% and scanner 2: +2.0%), while scanner 3 showed an underestimation of -2.6%. However, at site C, an underestimation was shown (scanner 1: -25.0%, scanner 2: -32.4%, and scanner 3: -8.4%). When CT is used for attenuation correction in patients with dental metal prostheses, an underestimation of radioactivity of accumulated tracer is anticipated in the dark streak artifact area on the CT images. In this study, the dark streak artifacts of the CT

Survey of damage to 602 MR scanners after the Great East Japan Earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakai, Toshiharu; Yamaguchi-Sekino, Sachiko; Tsuchihashi, Toshio

2013-01-01

An earthquake of 9.0 magnitude, the largest in modern Japanese history, struck east Japan on March 11, 2011. We investigated hazards and observations related to magnetic resonance (MR) scanners in this earthquake to evaluate potential risks and consider further prevention or minimization of damage from and injury of patients in such large earthquakes. The investigation team funded by MHLW sent questionnaires to the 984 facilities with installed MR scanners in the 7 prefectures of east Japan (Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Chiba, Tokyo, Saitama) and collected 458 responses (46.6%) with information on 602 MR scanners (144 units≤0.5 tesla; 31 one-T units; 371 1.5-T units; and 56 units≥3 T). Significant differences in damage were observed between seismic scale 5 and 6 (χ 2 test, P<0.001 for all items of damage checked). The frequencies of typical damage were displacement of magnets (12.4%), failure of the chiller or air conditioning (9.6%), rapid decrease in liquid helium (8.4%), damage to magnet enclosure and its equipment (7.6%), damage to shielding of the MR scanner room (6.1%), damage to the quench duct (4.5%), breakage of devices anchoring system cabinets (4.4%), damage to the magnet base (3.9%), and flying of metal components (1.5%). Twelve facilities reported flooding by the subsequent tsunami, and quench was confirmed in 19 facilities. No fire damage was reported. It was confirmed that no one was severely injured in MR scanners, and base isolation of the building was very useful in completely preventing damage even at seismic scale 7. In the future, training for evacuation and establishment of a standard protocol for emergency shutdown of MR scanners, onsite checking by MR operators, and emergency power plant equipment to maintain chiller for MR scanners will further ensure MR safety in an earthquake. (author)

Risks and safety aspects related to PET/MR examinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brix, Gunnar; Nekolla, Elke A.; Nosske, Dietmar; Griebel, Juergen

2009-01-01

The introduction of positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) systems into medical practice in the foreseeable future may not only lead to a gain in clinical diagnosis compared to PET/computed tomography (CT) imaging due to the superior soft-tissue contrast of the MR technology but can also substantially reduce exposure of patients to ionizing radiation. On the other hand, there are also risks and health effects associated with the use of diagnostic MR devices that have to be considered carefully. This review article summarizes biophysical and biological aspects, which are of relevance for the assessment of health effects related to the exposure of patients to both ionizing radiation in PET and magnetic and electromagnetic fields in MR. On this basis, some considerations concerning the justification and optimization of PET/MR examinations are presented - as far as this is possible at this very early stage. Current safety standards do not take into account synergistic effects of ionizing radiation and magnetic and electromagnetic fields. In the light of the developing PET/MR technology, there is an urgent need to investigate this aspect in more detail for exposure levels that will occur at PET/MR systems. (orig.)

Detector Position Estimation for PET Scanners.

Science.gov (United States)

Pierce, Larry; Miyaoka, Robert; Lewellen, Tom; Alessio, Adam; Kinahan, Paul

2012-06-11

Physical positioning of scintillation crystal detector blocks in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners is not always exact. We test a proof of concept methodology for the determination of the six degrees of freedom for detector block positioning errors by utilizing a rotating point source over stepped axial intervals. To test our method, we created computer simulations of seven Micro Crystal Element Scanner (MiCES) PET systems with randomized positioning errors. The computer simulations show that our positioning algorithm can estimate the positions of the block detectors to an average of one-seventh of the crystal pitch tangentially, and one-third of the crystal pitch axially. Virtual acquisitions of a point source grid and a distributed phantom show that our algorithm improves both the quantitative and qualitative accuracy of the reconstructed objects. We believe this estimation algorithm is a practical and accurate method for determining the spatial positions of scintillation detector blocks.

Detector position estimation for PET scanners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierce, Larry; Miyaoka, Robert; Lewellen, Tom; Alessio, Adam; Kinahan, Paul

2012-01-01

Physical positioning of scintillation crystal detector blocks in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners is not always exact. We test a proof of concept methodology for the determination of the six degrees of freedom for detector block positioning errors by utilizing a rotating point source over stepped axial intervals. To test our method, we created computer simulations of seven Micro Crystal Element Scanner (MiCES) PET systems with randomized positioning errors. The computer simulations show that our positioning algorithm can estimate the positions of the block detectors to an average of one-seventh of the crystal pitch tangentially, and one-third of the crystal pitch axially. Virtual acquisitions of a point source grid and a distributed phantom show that our algorithm improves both the quantitative and qualitative accuracy of the reconstructed objects. We believe this estimation algorithm is a practical and accurate method for determining the spatial positions of scintillation detector blocks.

Initial clinical test of a breast-PET scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raylman, Raymond R.; Koren, Courtney; Schreiman, Judith S.; Majewski, Stan; Marano, Gary D.; Abraham, Jame; Kurian, Sobha; Hazard, Hannah; Filburn, Shannon

2011-01-01

The goal of this initial clinical study was to test a new positron emission/tomography imager and biopsy system (PEM/PET) in a small group of selected subjects to assess its clinical imaging capabilities. Specifically, the main task of this study is to determine whether the new system can successfully be used to produce images of known breast cancer and compare them to those acquired by standard techniques. The PEM/PET system consists of two pairs of rotating radiation detectors located beneath a patient table. The scanner has a spatial resolution of ∼2 mm in all three dimensions. The subjects consisted of five patients diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer ranging in age from 40 to 55 years old scheduled for pre-treatment, conventional whole body PET imaging with F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). The primary lesions were at least 2 cm in diameter. The images from the PEM/PET system demonstrated that this system is capable of identifying some lesions not visible in standard mammograms. Furthermore, while the relatively large lesions imaged in this study where all visualised by a standard whole body PET/CT scanner, some of the morphology of the tumours (ductal infiltration, for example) was better defined with the PEM/PET system. Significantly, these images were obtained immediately following a standard whole body PET scan. The initial testing of the new PEM/PET system demonstrated that the new system is capable of producing good quality breast-PET images compared standard methods.

Evaluation of DC/DC switching power regulation with small-scale integrated inductors for PET/MR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biagi, Laura [IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris and Fondazione Imago 7, Calambrone, Pisa (Italy); Bisogni, Maria Giuseppina; Camarlinghi, Niccolo [Department of Physics, University of Pisa and INFN, Pisa (Italy); Costagli, Mauro [IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris and Fondazione Imago 7, Calambrone, Pisa (Italy); Sportelli, Giancarlo [Department of Physics, University of Pisa and INFN, Pisa (Italy); Tosetti, Michela [IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris and Fondazione Imago 7, Calambrone, Pisa (Italy); Del Guerra, Alberto; Belcari, Nicola [Department of Physics, University of Pisa and INFN, Pisa (Italy)

2015-05-18

We present a feasibility study that has been carried out to determine the best power regulation strategy for the PET front-end electronics of the trimodal PET/MRI/EEG TRIMAGE scanner. Conventional power regulation strategies cannot be applied to PET/MRI because standard switching regulators stop working in presence of a high magnetic field. At the state of the art, linear regulators are used instead. However, linear regulators are inefficient and might not allow to fulfill power and thermal constraints if the electronics becomes more power demanding, such as in the case of FPGA based front-ends. Very recently, a new generation of switching power supplies has been introduced for EMI critical applications where the discrete inductor energy buffer is not allowed. These supplies have very small footprint, need few biasing peripherals and they use on-chip integrated inductors for energy storage. These switching power regulators coupled with an adequate EMI shield could be an achievable power solution for our PET front-end electronics. Test procedures for Enpirion. EN2390QI and the Enpirion. EN6347QI switching power regulators are presented. Measurements have been performed at GE 1.5T MRI scanner with the support of IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris. All the board have been tested in two different configurations: with and without an additional EMI shield. Performance of these two switching power regulators have been compared with a linear power regulator (Enpirion. EY1501DI). Output voltage, output current and temperature have been measured. The stability of these three main characteristic will be presented in different operation conditions and will be discussed (output voltage vs. temperature, output voltage vs. output current and output current vs. temperature).

Speeding up PET/MR for cancer staging of children and young adults

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aghighi, Maryam; Pisani, Laura Jean; Sun, Ziyan; Klenk, Christopher; Madnawat, Himani; Owen, Daniel; Quon, Andrew; Moseley, Michael; Daldrup-Link, Heike E. [Stanford University, Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford, CA (United States); Fineman, Sandra Luna [Stanford University, Department of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children' s Hospital, Stanford, CA (United States); Advani, Ranjana [Stanford University, Department of Medicine, Stanford Hospital, Stanford, CA (United States); Von Eyben, Rie [Stanford University, Department of Radiation and Oncology, Stanford, CA (United States)

2016-12-15

Combining {sup 18}F-FDG PET with whole-body MR for paediatric cancer staging is practically feasible if imaging protocols can be streamlined. We compared {sup 18}F-FDG PET/STIR with accelerated {sup 18}F-FDG PET/FSPGR for whole-body tumour imaging in children and young adults. Thirty-three children and young adults (17.5 ± 5.5 years, range 10-30) with malignant lymphoma or sarcoma underwent a {sup 18}F-FDG PET staging examination, followed by ferumoxytol-enhanced STIR and FSPGR whole-body MR. {sup 18}F-FDG PET scans were fused with MR data and the number and location of tumours on each integrated examination were determined. Histopathology and follow-up imaging served as standard of reference. The agreement of each MR sequence with the reference and whole-body imaging times were compared using Cohen's kappa coefficient and Student's t-test, respectively. Comparing {sup 18}F-FDG PET/FSPGR to {sup 18}F-FDG PET/STIR, sensitivities were 99.3 % for both, specificities were statistically equivalent, 99.8 versus 99.9 %, and the agreement with the reference based on Cohen's kappa coefficient was also statistically equivalent, 0.989 versus 0.992. However, the total scan-time for accelerated FSPGR of 19.8 ± 5.3 minutes was significantly shorter compared to 29.0 ± 7.6 minutes for STIR (p = 0.001). F-FDG PET/FSPGR demonstrated equivalent sensitivities and specificities for cancer staging compared to {sup 18}F-FDG PET/STIR, but could be acquired with shorter acquisition time. (orig.)

Preliminary evaluation of the MLAA algorithm with the Philips Ingenuity PET/MR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lougovski, Alexandr; Schramm, Georg; Maus, Jens; Hofheinz, Frank; Ho, Jörg van den

2014-01-01

Combined PET/MR is a promising tool for simultaneous investigation of soft tissue morphology and function. However, contrary to CT, MR images do not provide information on photon attenuation in tissue. In the currently available systems issue is solved by synthesizing attenuation maps from MR images using segmentation algorithms. This approach has been shown to provide reason-able results in most cases. However, sporadically occurring segmentation errors can cause serious problems. Recently, algorithms for simultaneous estimation of attenuation and tracer distribution (MLAA) have been introduced. So far, validity of MLAA has mainly been demonstrated in simulated data. We have integrated the MLAA algorithm [2] into the THOR reconstruction []. An evaluation of MLAA was performed using both phantom and patient data acquired with the Ingenuity PET/MR.

Imaging system models for small-bore DOI-PET scanners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Hisashi; Kobayashi, Tetsuya; Yamaya, Taiga; Murayama, Hideo; Kitamura, Keishi; Hasegawa, Tomoyuki; Suga, Mikio

2006-01-01

Depth-of-interaction (DOI) information, which improves resolution uniformity in the field of view (FOV), is expected to lead to high-sensitivity PET scanners with small-bore detector rings. We are developing small-bore PET scanners with DOI detectors arranged in hexagonal or overlapped tetragonal patterns for small animal imaging or mammography. It is necessary to optimize the imaging system model because these scanners exhibit irregular detector sampling. In this work, we compared two imaging system models: (a) a parallel sub-LOR model in which the detector response functions (DRFs) are assumed to be uniform along the line of responses (LORs) and (b) a sub-crystal model in which each crystal is divided into a set of smaller volumes. These two models were applied to the overlapped tetragonal scanner (FOV 38.1 mm in diameter) and the hexagonal scanner (FOV 85.2 mm in diameter) simulated by GATE. We showed that the resolution non-uniformity of system model (b) was improved by 40% compared with that of system model (a) in the overlapped tetragonal scanner and that the resolution non-uniformity of system model (a) was improved by 18% compared with that of system model (b) in the hexagonal scanner. These results indicate that system model (b) should be applied to the overlapped tetragonal scanner and system model (a) should be applied to the hexagonal scanner. (author)

A dedicated breast-PET/CT scanner: Evaluation of basic performance characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Raylman, Raymond R; Van Kampen, Will; Stolin, Alexander V; Gong, Wenbo; Jaliparthi, Gangadhar; Martone, Peter F; Smith, Mark F; Sarment, David; Clinthorne, Neal H; Perna, Mark

2018-04-01

Application of advanced imaging techniques, such as PET and x ray CT, can potentially improve detection of breast cancer. Unfortunately, both modalities have challenges in the detection of some lesions. The combination of the two techniques, however, could potentially lead to an overall improvement in diagnostic breast imaging. The purpose of this investigation is to test the basic performance of a new dedicated breast-PET/CT. The PET component consists of a rotating pair of detectors. Its performance was evaluated using the NEMA NU4-2008 protocols. The CT component utilizes a pulsed x ray source and flat panel detector mounted on the same gantry as the PET scanner. Its performance was assessed using specialized phantoms. The radiation dose to a breast during CT imaging was explored by the measurement of free-in-air kerma and air kerma measured at the center of a 16 cm-diameter PMMA cylinder. Finally, the combined capabilities of the system were demonstrated by imaging of a micro-hot-rod phantom. Overall, performance of the PET component is comparable to many pre-clinical and other dedicated breast-PET scanners. Its spatial resolution is 2.2 mm, 5 mm from the center of the scanner using images created with the single-sliced-filtered-backprojection algorithm. Peak NECR is 24.6 kcps; peak sensitivity is 1.36%; the scatter fraction is 27%. Spatial resolution of the CT scanner is 1.1 lp/mm at 10% MTF. The free-in-air kerma is 2.33 mGy, while the PMMA-air kerma is 1.24 mGy. Finally, combined imaging of a micro-hot-rod phantom illustrated the potential utility of the dual-modality images produced by the system. The basic performance characteristics of a new dedicated breast-PET/CT scanner are good, demonstrating that its performance is similar to current dedicated PET and CT scanners. The potential value of this system is the capability to produce combined duality-modality images that could improve detection of breast disease. The next stage in development of this system

Prospective head-to-head comparison of 11C-choline-PET/MR and 11C-choline-PET/CT for restaging of biochemical recurrent prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eiber, Matthias; Rauscher, Isabel; Souvatzoglou, Michael; Schwaiger, Markus; Maurer, Tobias; Holzapfel, Konstantin; Beer, Ambros J.

2017-01-01

Whole-body integrated 11 C-choline PET/MR might provide advantages compared to 11 C-choline PET/CT for restaging of prostate cancer (PC) due to the high soft-tissue contrast and the use of multiparametric MRI, especially for detection of local recurrence and bone metastases. Ninety-four patients with recurrent PC underwent a single-injection/dual-imaging protocol with contrast-enhanced PET/CT followed by fully diagnostic PET/MR. Imaging datasets were read separately by two reader teams (team 1 and 2) assessing the presence of local recurrence, lymph node and bone metastases in predefined regions using a five-point scale. Detection rates were calculated. The diagnostic performance of PET/CT vs. PET/MR was compared using ROC analysis. Inter-observer and inter-modality variability, radiation exposure, and mean imaging time were evaluated. Clinical follow-up, imaging, and/or histopathology served as standard of reference (SOR). Seventy-five patients qualified for the final image analysis. A total of 188 regions were regarded as positive: local recurrence in 37 patients, 87 regions with lymph node metastases, and 64 regions with bone metastases. Mean detection rate between both readers teams for PET/MR was 84.7% compared to 77.3% for PET/CT (p > 0.05). Local recurrence was identified significantly more often in PET/MR compared to PET/CT by team 1. Lymph node and bone metastases were identified significantly more often in PET/CT compared to PET/MR by both teams. However, this difference was not present in the subgroup of patients with PSA values ≤2 ng/ml. Inter-modality and inter-observer agreement (K > 0.6) was moderate to substantial for nearly all categories. Mean reduction of radiation exposure for PET/MR compared to PET/CT was 79.7% (range, 72.6-86.2%). Mean imaging time for PET/CT was substantially lower (18.4 ± 0.7 min) compared to PET/MR (50.4 ± 7.9 min). 11 C-choline PET/MR is a robust imaging modality for restaging biochemical recurrent PC and

Fast generation of 4D PET-MR data from real dynamic MR acquisitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsoumpas, C; Buerger, C; King, A P; Schleyer, P; Schaeffter, T; Marsden, P K; Mollet, P; Keereman, V; Vandenberghe, S; Schulz, V

2011-01-01

We have implemented and evaluated a framework for simulating simultaneous dynamic PET-MR data using the anatomic and dynamic information from real MR acquisitions. PET radiotracer distribution is simulated by assigning typical FDG uptake values to segmented MR images with manually inserted additional virtual lesions. PET projection data and images are simulated using analytic forward projections (including attenuation and Poisson statistics) implemented within the image reconstruction package STIR. PET image reconstructions are also performed with STIR. The simulation is validated with numerical simulation based on Monte Carlo (GATE) which uses more accurate physical modelling, but has 150x slower computation time compared to the analytic method for ten respiratory positions and is 7000x slower when performing multiple realizations. Results are validated in terms of region of interest mean values and coefficients of variation for 65 million coincidences including scattered events. Although some discrepancy is observed, agreement between the two different simulation methods is good given the statistical noise in the data. In particular, the percentage difference of the mean values is 3.1% for tissue, 17% for the lungs and 18% for a small lesion. The utility of the procedure is demonstrated by simulating realistic PET-MR datasets from multiple volunteers with different breathing patterns. The usefulness of the toolkit will be shown for performance investigations of the reconstruction, motion correction and attenuation correction algorithms for dynamic PET-MR data.

Towards quantitative PET/MRI: a review of MR-based attenuation correction techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, Matthias; Pichler, Bernd; Schölkopf, Bernhard; Beyer, Thomas

2009-03-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a fully quantitative technology for imaging metabolic pathways and dynamic processes in vivo. Attenuation correction of raw PET data is a prerequisite for quantification and is typically based on separate transmission measurements. In PET/CT attenuation correction, however, is performed routinely based on the available CT transmission data. Recently, combined PET/magnetic resonance (MR) has been proposed as a viable alternative to PET/CT. Current concepts of PET/MRI do not include CT-like transmission sources and, therefore, alternative methods of PET attenuation correction must be found. This article reviews existing approaches to MR-based attenuation correction (MR-AC). Most groups have proposed MR-AC algorithms for brain PET studies and more recently also for torso PET/MR imaging. Most MR-AC strategies require the use of complementary MR and transmission images, or morphology templates generated from transmission images. We review and discuss these algorithms and point out challenges for using MR-AC in clinical routine. MR-AC is work-in-progress with potentially promising results from a template-based approach applicable to both brain and torso imaging. While efforts are ongoing in making clinically viable MR-AC fully automatic, further studies are required to realize the potential benefits of MR-based motion compensation and partial volume correction of the PET data.

Towards quantitative PET/MRI: a review of MR-based attenuation correction techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, Matthias; Pichler, Bernd; Schoelkopf, Bernhard; Beyer, Thomas

2009-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a fully quantitative technology for imaging metabolic pathways and dynamic processes in vivo. Attenuation correction of raw PET data is a prerequisite for quantification and is typically based on separate transmission measurements. In PET/CT attenuation correction, however, is performed routinely based on the available CT transmission data. Recently, combined PET/magnetic resonance (MR) has been proposed as a viable alternative to PET/CT. Current concepts of PET/MRI do not include CT-like transmission sources and, therefore, alternative methods of PET attenuation correction must be found. This article reviews existing approaches to MR-based attenuation correction (MR-AC). Most groups have proposed MR-AC algorithms for brain PET studies and more recently also for torso PET/MR imaging. Most MR-AC strategies require the use of complementary MR and transmission images, or morphology templates generated from transmission images. We review and discuss these algorithms and point out challenges for using MR-AC in clinical routine. MR-AC is work-in-progress with potentially promising results from a template-based approach applicable to both brain and torso imaging. While efforts are ongoing in making clinically viable MR-AC fully automatic, further studies are required to realize the potential benefits of MR-based motion compensation and partial volume correction of the PET data. (orig.)

Towards quantitative PET/MRI: a review of MR-based attenuation correction techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofmann, Matthias [Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen (Germany); University of Tuebingen, Laboratory for Preclinical Imaging and Imaging Technology of the Werner Siemens-Foundation, Department of Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); University of Oxford, Wolfson Medical Vision Laboratory, Department of Engineering Science, Oxford (United Kingdom); Pichler, Bernd [University of Tuebingen, Laboratory for Preclinical Imaging and Imaging Technology of the Werner Siemens-Foundation, Department of Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); Schoelkopf, Bernhard [Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen (Germany); Beyer, Thomas [University Hospital Duisburg-Essen, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Essen (Germany); Cmi-Experts GmbH, Zurich (Switzerland)

2009-03-15

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a fully quantitative technology for imaging metabolic pathways and dynamic processes in vivo. Attenuation correction of raw PET data is a prerequisite for quantification and is typically based on separate transmission measurements. In PET/CT attenuation correction, however, is performed routinely based on the available CT transmission data. Recently, combined PET/magnetic resonance (MR) has been proposed as a viable alternative to PET/CT. Current concepts of PET/MRI do not include CT-like transmission sources and, therefore, alternative methods of PET attenuation correction must be found. This article reviews existing approaches to MR-based attenuation correction (MR-AC). Most groups have proposed MR-AC algorithms for brain PET studies and more recently also for torso PET/MR imaging. Most MR-AC strategies require the use of complementary MR and transmission images, or morphology templates generated from transmission images. We review and discuss these algorithms and point out challenges for using MR-AC in clinical routine. MR-AC is work-in-progress with potentially promising results from a template-based approach applicable to both brain and torso imaging. While efforts are ongoing in making clinically viable MR-AC fully automatic, further studies are required to realize the potential benefits of MR-based motion compensation and partial volume correction of the PET data. (orig.)

Efficient system modeling for a small animal PET scanner with tapered DOI detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Mengxi; Zhou, Jian; Yang, Yongfeng; Qi, Jinyi; Rodríguez-Villafuerte, Mercedes

2016-01-01

A prototype small animal positron emission tomography (PET) scanner for mouse brain imaging has been developed at UC Davis. The new scanner uses tapered detector arrays with depth of interaction (DOI) measurement. In this paper, we present an efficient system model for the tapered PET scanner using matrix factorization and a virtual scanner geometry. The factored system matrix mainly consists of two components: a sinogram blurring matrix and a geometrical matrix. The geometric matrix is based on a virtual scanner geometry. The sinogram blurring matrix is estimated by matrix factorization. We investigate the performance of different virtual scanner geometries. Both simulation study and real data experiments are performed in the fully 3D mode to study the image quality under different system models. The results indicate that the proposed matrix factorization can maintain image quality while substantially reduce the image reconstruction time and system matrix storage cost. The proposed method can be also applied to other PET scanners with DOI measurement. (paper)

Skull segmentation of UTE MR images by probabilistic neural network for attenuation correction in PET/MR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos Ribeiro, A. [Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Lisbon (Portugal); Forschungszentrum Juelich, INM4, Juelich (Germany); Rota Kops, E., E-mail: e.rota.kops@fz-juelich.de [Forschungszentrum Juelich, INM4, Juelich (Germany); Herzog, H. [Forschungszentrum Juelich, INM4, Juelich (Germany); Almeida, P. [Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Lisbon (Portugal)

2013-02-21

Aim: Due to space and technical limitations in PET/MR scanners one of the difficulties is the generation of an attenuation correction (AC) map to correct the PET image data. Different methods have been suggested that make use of the images acquired with an ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequence. However, in most of them precise thresholds need to be defined and these may depend on the sequence parameters. In this study an algorithm based on a probabilistic neural network (PNN) is presented requiring little user interaction. Material and methods: An MR UTE sequence delivering two images (UTE1 and UTE2) by using two different echo times (0.07 ms and 2.46 ms, respectively) was acquired. The input features for the PNN algorithm consist of two patches of MR intensities chosen in both the co-registered UTE1 and UTE2 images. At the end, the PNN generates an image classified into four different classes: brain+soft tissue, air, csf, and bone. CT and MR data were acquired in four subjects, whereby the CT data were used for comparison. For each patient co-classification of the different classified classes and the Dice coefficients (D) were calculated between the MR segmented image and the respective CT image. Results: An overall voxel classification accuracy (compared with CT) of 92% was obtained. Also, the resulting D with regard to the skull and calculated for the four subjects show a mean of 0.83 and a standard deviation of 0.07. Discussion: Our results show that a reliable bone segmentation of MRI images as well as the generation of a reliable attenuation map is possible. Conclusion: The developed algorithms possess several advantages over current methods using UTE sequence such as a quick and an easy optimization for different sequence parameters.

Skull segmentation of UTE MR images by probabilistic neural network for attenuation correction in PET/MR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos Ribeiro, A.; Rota Kops, E.; Herzog, H.; Almeida, P.

2013-01-01

Aim: Due to space and technical limitations in PET/MR scanners one of the difficulties is the generation of an attenuation correction (AC) map to correct the PET image data. Different methods have been suggested that make use of the images acquired with an ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequence. However, in most of them precise thresholds need to be defined and these may depend on the sequence parameters. In this study an algorithm based on a probabilistic neural network (PNN) is presented requiring little user interaction. Material and methods: An MR UTE sequence delivering two images (UTE1 and UTE2) by using two different echo times (0.07 ms and 2.46 ms, respectively) was acquired. The input features for the PNN algorithm consist of two patches of MR intensities chosen in both the co-registered UTE1 and UTE2 images. At the end, the PNN generates an image classified into four different classes: brain+soft tissue, air, csf, and bone. CT and MR data were acquired in four subjects, whereby the CT data were used for comparison. For each patient co-classification of the different classified classes and the Dice coefficients (D) were calculated between the MR segmented image and the respective CT image. Results: An overall voxel classification accuracy (compared with CT) of 92% was obtained. Also, the resulting D with regard to the skull and calculated for the four subjects show a mean of 0.83 and a standard deviation of 0.07. Discussion: Our results show that a reliable bone segmentation of MRI images as well as the generation of a reliable attenuation map is possible. Conclusion: The developed algorithms possess several advantages over current methods using UTE sequence such as a quick and an easy optimization for different sequence parameters

Diagnostic performance of PET/MR in the evaluation of active inflammation in Crohn disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Catalano, Onofrio Antonio; Wu, Vincent; Mahmood, Umar; Signore, Alberto; Vangel, Mark; Soricelli, Andrea; Salvatore, Marco; Gervais, Debra; Rosen, Bruce R

2018-01-01

This study investigates the performance of PET/MR versus each sub-modality alone in the assessment of active inflammation in patients with Crohn disease, when compared to surgery as standard of reference. Sensitivity for detecting active inflammation was 91.5% for PET, 80% for MR, and 88% for PET/MR. Specificity for active inflammation was 74% for PET, 87% for MR, and 93% for PET/MR. Diagnostic accuracy was 84% for PET, 83% for MR, and 91% for PET/MR. In conclusion, PET/MR is significantly more accurate than either sub-modality alone and more specific than PET alone in the detection of active inflammation in patients with Crohn disease.

Motion-corrected whole-heart PET-MR for the simultaneous visualisation of coronary artery integrity and myocardial viability: an initial clinical validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Munoz, Camila; Kunze, Karl P; Neji, Radhouene; Vitadello, Teresa; Rischpler, Christoph; Botnar, René M; Nekolla, Stephan G; Prieto, Claudia

2018-05-12

Cardiac PET-MR has shown potential for the comprehensive assessment of coronary heart disease. However, image degradation due to physiological motion remains a challenge that could hinder the adoption of this technology in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to validate a recently proposed respiratory motion-corrected PET-MR framework for the simultaneous visualisation of myocardial viability ( 18 F-FDG PET) and coronary artery anatomy (coronary MR angiography, CMRA) in patients with chronic total occlusion (CTO). A cohort of 14 patients was scanned with the proposed PET-CMRA framework. PET and CMRA images were reconstructed with and without the proposed motion correction approach for comparison purposes. Metrics of image quality including visible vessel length and sharpness were obtained for CMRA for both the right and left anterior descending coronary arteries (RCA, LAD), and relative increase in 18 F-FDG PET signal after motion correction for standard 17-segment polar maps was computed. Resulting coronary anatomy by CMRA and myocardial integrity by PET were visually compared against X-ray angiography and conventional Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE) MRI, respectively. Motion correction increased CMRA visible vessel length by 49.9% and 32.6% (RCA, LAD) and vessel sharpness by 12.3% and 18.9% (RCA, LAD) on average compared to uncorrected images. Coronary lumen delineation on motion-corrected CMRA images was in good agreement with X-ray angiography findings. For PET, motion correction resulted in an average 8% increase in 18 F-FDG signal in the inferior and inferolateral segments of the myocardial wall. An improved delineation of myocardial viability defects and reduced noise in the 18 F-FDG PET images was observed, improving correspondence to subendocardial LGE-MRI findings compared to uncorrected images. The feasibility of the PET-CMRA framework for simultaneous cardiac PET-MR imaging in a short and predictable scan time (~11 min) has been

Quantitative simultaneous PET-MR imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Jinsong; Petibon, Yoann; Huang, Chuan; Reese, Timothy G.; Kolnick, Aleksandra L.; El Fakhri, Georges

2014-06-01

Whole-body PET is currently limited by the degradation due to patient motion. Respiratory motion degrades imaging studies of the abdomen. Similarly, both respiratory and cardiac motions significantly hamper the assessment of myocardial ischemia and/or metabolism in perfusion and viability cardiac PET studies. Based on simultaneous PET-MR, we have developed robust and accurate MRI methods allowing the tracking and measurement of both respiratory and cardiac motions during abdominal or cardiac studies. Our list-mode iterative PET reconstruction framework incorporates the measured motion fields into PET emission system matrix as well as the time-dependent PET attenuation map and the position dependent point spread function. Our method significantly enhances the PET image quality as compared to conventional methods.

Thoracic staging in lung cancer: prospective comparison of 18F-FDG PET/MR imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Heusch, Philipp; Buchbender, Christian; Köhler, Jens; Nensa, Felix; Gauler, Thomas; Gomez, Benedikt; Reis, Henning; Stamatis, Georgios; Kühl, Hilmar; Hartung, Verena; Heusner, Till A

2014-03-01

Therapeutic decisions in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients depend on the tumor stage. PET/CT with (18)F-FDG is widely accepted as the diagnostic standard of care. The purpose of this study was to compare a dedicated pulmonary (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging protocol with (18)F-FDG PET/CT for primary and locoregional lymph node staging in NSCLC patients using histopathology as the reference. Twenty-two patients (12 men, 10 women; mean age ± SD, 65.1 ± 9.1 y) with histopathologically confirmed NSCLC underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT, followed by (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging, including a dedicated pulmonary MR imaging protocol. T and N staging according to the seventh edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual was performed by 2 readers in separate sessions for (18)F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MR imaging, respectively. Results from histopathology were used as the standard of reference. The mean and maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(mean) and SUV(max), respectively) and maximum diameter of the primary tumor was measured and compared in (18)F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MR imaging. PET/MR imaging and (18)F-FDG PET/CT agreed on T stages in 16 of 16 of patients (100%). All patients were correctly staged by (18)F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MR (100%), compared with histopathology. There was no statistically significant difference between (18)F-FDG PET/CT and (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging for lymph node metastases detection (P = 0.48). For definition of thoracic N stages, PET/MR imaging and (18)F-FDG PET/CT were concordant in 20 of 22 patients (91%). PET/MR imaging determined the N stage correctly in 20 of 22 patients (91%). (18)F-FDG PET/CT determined the N stage correctly in 18 of 22 patients (82%). The mean differences for SUV(mean) and SUV(max) of NSCLC in (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging and (18)F-FDG PET/CT were 0.21 and -5.06. These differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The SUV(mean) and SUV(max) measurements derived from (18)F-FDG PET/CT and (18)F-FDG PET/MR

Locoregional tumour evaluation of squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck area: a comparison between MRI, PET/CT and integrated PET/MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaarschmidt, Benedikt Michael [University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Duesseldorf (Germany); University Duisburg-Essen, Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Essen (Germany); Heusch, Philipp; Buchbender, Christian; Antoch, Gerald [University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Duesseldorf (Germany); Ruhlmann, Marcus; Ruhlmann, Verena [University Duisburg-Essen, Medical Faculty, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Essen (Germany); Bergmann, Christoph [University Hospital Essen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Essen (Germany); Schlamann, Marc [University Duisburg-Essen, Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Essen (Germany); University Hospital Giessen, Department of Neuroradiology, Marburg (Germany); Forsting, Michael; Wetter, Axel [University Duisburg-Essen, Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Essen (Germany)

2016-01-15

To evaluate the accuracy of integrated {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MR imaging for locoregional tumour evaluation compared to {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT and MR imaging in initial tumour and recurrence diagnosis in histopathologically confirmed head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT and integrated {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MR imaging were performed for initial tumour staging or recurrence diagnosis in 25 patients with HNSCC. MR, fused {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT and fused {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MR images were analysed by two independent readers in separate sessions in random order. In initial tumour staging, T and N staging was performed while individual lesions were analysed in patients with suspected cancer recurrence. In T and N staging, histopathological results after tumour resection served as the reference standard while histopathological sampling as well as cross-sectional and clinical follow-up were accepted in cancer recurrence diagnosis. The diagnostic accuracy of each modality was calculated separately for T and N staging as well as for tumour recurrence, and compared using McNemar's test. Values of p <0.017 were considered statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. In 12 patients undergoing {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT and {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MR for initial tumour staging, T staging was accurate in 50 % with MRI, in 59 % with PET/CT and in 75 % with PET/MR while N staging was accurate in 75 % with MRI, in 77 % with PET/CT and in 71 % with PET/MR in relation to the reference standard. No significant differences were observed in T and N staging among the three modalities (p > 0.017). In 13 patients undergoing hybrid imaging for cancer recurrence diagnosis, diagnostic accuracy was 57 % with MRI and in 72 % with {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT and {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MR, respectively. Again, no significant differences were found among the three modalities (p > 0.017). In this initial study, no significant differences were found among {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MR, {sup 18}F

Compensation for photon attenuation in PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chintu Chen; Ordonez, C.E.; Xiaolin Yu.

1992-01-01

CT/MR and PET images usually are not in registration spatially because of differences in the imaging setup. CT, MR and PET imaging parameters that are used regularly for brain studies in their institution are compared, in addition, because the patient orientations in CT/MR and PET scanners are not the same, slice centers are positioned differently relative to the patients anatomy. For application of the new idea of using structural information from CT or MR images in PET image reconstruction for attenuation correction, image registration is required as a first step so that one can obtain a corresponding anatomic map for any selected PET image plane. The authors chose to use the surface-matching technique developed in their laboratories for image registration because this method is retrospective and accurate. After the PET and CT/MR scans are registered, they reslice the CT/MR images along the planes of the PET images. The differences in slice thickness and slice separation, as well as in image resolution between various image modalities are to be considered

Comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of PET/MRI to PET/CT-acquired FDG brain exams for seizure focus detection: a prospective study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paldino, Michael J.; Jones, Jeremy Y.; Mahmood, Nadia; Sher, Andrew; Hayatghaibi, Shireen; Seghers, Victor [Texas Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Houston, TX (United States); Yang, Erica [SimonMed Imaging, Department of Radiology, Scottsdale, AZ (United States); Zhang, Wei [Texas Children' s Hospital, Outcomes and Impact Service, Houston, TX (United States); Krishnamurthy, Ramkumar [Nationwide Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Columbus, OH (United States)

2017-10-15

There is great interest in positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) as a clinical tool due to its capacity to provide diverse diagnostic information in a single exam. The goal of this exam is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of PET/MR-acquired [F-18]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) brain exams to that of PET/CT with respect to identifying seizure foci in children with localization-related epilepsy. Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent were obtained for this Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant, prospective study. All patients referred for clinical FDG-PET/CT exams of the brain at our institution for a diagnosis of localization-related epilepsy were prospectively recruited to undergo an additional FDG-PET acquisition on a tandem PET/MR system. Attenuation-corrected FDG images acquired at PET/MR and PET/CT were interpreted independently by five expert readers. Readers were blinded to the scanner used for acquisition and attenuation correction as well as all other clinical and imaging data. A Likert scale scoring system (1-5) was used to assess image quality. The locale of seizure origin determined at multidisciplinary epilepsy surgery work rounds was considered the reference standard. Non-inferiority testing for paired data was used to compare the diagnostic accuracy of PET/MR to that of PET/CT. The final study population comprised 35 patients referred for a diagnosis of localization-related epilepsy (age range: 2-19 years; median: 11 years; 21 males, 14 females). Image quality did not differ significantly between the two modalities. The accuracy of PET/MR was not inferior to that of PET/CT for localization of a seizure focus (P=0.017). The diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET images acquired on a PET/MR scanner and generated using MR-based attenuation correction was not inferior to that of PET images processed by traditional CT-based correction. (orig.)

Comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of PET/MRI to PET/CT-acquired FDG brain exams for seizure focus detection: a prospective study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paldino, Michael J.; Jones, Jeremy Y.; Mahmood, Nadia; Sher, Andrew; Hayatghaibi, Shireen; Seghers, Victor; Yang, Erica; Zhang, Wei; Krishnamurthy, Ramkumar

2017-01-01

There is great interest in positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) as a clinical tool due to its capacity to provide diverse diagnostic information in a single exam. The goal of this exam is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of PET/MR-acquired [F-18]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) brain exams to that of PET/CT with respect to identifying seizure foci in children with localization-related epilepsy. Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent were obtained for this Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant, prospective study. All patients referred for clinical FDG-PET/CT exams of the brain at our institution for a diagnosis of localization-related epilepsy were prospectively recruited to undergo an additional FDG-PET acquisition on a tandem PET/MR system. Attenuation-corrected FDG images acquired at PET/MR and PET/CT were interpreted independently by five expert readers. Readers were blinded to the scanner used for acquisition and attenuation correction as well as all other clinical and imaging data. A Likert scale scoring system (1-5) was used to assess image quality. The locale of seizure origin determined at multidisciplinary epilepsy surgery work rounds was considered the reference standard. Non-inferiority testing for paired data was used to compare the diagnostic accuracy of PET/MR to that of PET/CT. The final study population comprised 35 patients referred for a diagnosis of localization-related epilepsy (age range: 2-19 years; median: 11 years; 21 males, 14 females). Image quality did not differ significantly between the two modalities. The accuracy of PET/MR was not inferior to that of PET/CT for localization of a seizure focus (P=0.017). The diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET images acquired on a PET/MR scanner and generated using MR-based attenuation correction was not inferior to that of PET images processed by traditional CT-based correction. (orig.)

Development of scintillation materials for PET scanners

CERN Document Server

Korzhik, Mikhail; Annenkov, Alexander N; Borissevitch, Andrei; Dossovitski, Alexei; Missevitch, Oleg; Lecoq, Paul

2007-01-01

The growing demand on PET methodology for a variety of applications ranging from clinical use to fundamental studies triggers research and development of PET scanners providing better spatial resolution and sensitivity. These efforts are primarily focused on the development of advanced PET detector solutions and on the developments of new scintillation materials as well. However Lu containing scintillation materials introduced in the last century such as LSO, LYSO, LuAP, LuYAP crystals still remain the best PET species in spite of the recent developments of bright, fast but relatively low density lanthanum bromide scintillators. At the same time Lu based materials have several drawbacks which are high temperature of crystallization and relatively high cost compared to alkali-halide scintillation materials. Here we describe recent results in the development of new scintillation materials for PET application.

Atlas of PET/MR imaging in oncology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratib, Osman; Schwaiger, Markus; Beyer, Thomas

2013-01-01

Numerous illustrated clinical cases in different oncology domains. Includes digital interactive software matching the cases in the book. Interactive version based on the latest web standard, HTML5, ensuring the widest compatibility. Edited by three international opinion leaders/imaging experts in the field. This new project on PET/MR imaging in oncology includes digital interactive software matching the cases in the book. The interactive version of the atlas is based on the latest web standard, HTML5, ensuring compatibility with any computer operating system as well as a dedicated version for Apple iPad and iPhone. The book opens with an introduction to the principles of hybrid imaging that pays particular attention to PET/MR imaging and standard PET/MR acquisition protocols. A wide range of illustrated clinical case reports are then presented. Each case study includes a short clinical history, findings, and teaching points, followed by illustrations, legends, and comments. The multimedia version of the book includes dynamic movies that allow the reader to browse through series of rotating 3D images (MIP or volume rendered), display blending between PET and MR, and dynamic visualization of 3D image volumes. The movies can be played either continuously or sequentially for better exploration of sets of images. The editors of this state-of-the-art publication are key opinion leaders in the field of multimodality imaging. Professor Osman Ratib (Geneva) and Professor Markus Schwaiger (Munich) were the first in Europe to initiate the clinical adoption of PET/MR imaging. Professor Thomas Beyer (Zurich) is an internationally renowned pioneering physicist in the field of hybrid imaging. Individual clinical cases presented in this book are co-authored by leading international radiologists and nuclear physicians experts in the use of PET and MRI.

Atlas of PET/MR imaging in oncology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ratib, Osman [University Hospital of Geneva (Switzerland). Nuclear Medicine Division; Schwaiger, Markus [Technische Univ. Muenchen (Germany). Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik; Beyer, Thomas (eds.) [General Hospital Vienna (Austria). Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering

2013-08-01

Numerous illustrated clinical cases in different oncology domains. Includes digital interactive software matching the cases in the book. Interactive version based on the latest web standard, HTML5, ensuring the widest compatibility. Edited by three international opinion leaders/imaging experts in the field. This new project on PET/MR imaging in oncology includes digital interactive software matching the cases in the book. The interactive version of the atlas is based on the latest web standard, HTML5, ensuring compatibility with any computer operating system as well as a dedicated version for Apple iPad and iPhone. The book opens with an introduction to the principles of hybrid imaging that pays particular attention to PET/MR imaging and standard PET/MR acquisition protocols. A wide range of illustrated clinical case reports are then presented. Each case study includes a short clinical history, findings, and teaching points, followed by illustrations, legends, and comments. The multimedia version of the book includes dynamic movies that allow the reader to browse through series of rotating 3D images (MIP or volume rendered), display blending between PET and MR, and dynamic visualization of 3D image volumes. The movies can be played either continuously or sequentially for better exploration of sets of images. The editors of this state-of-the-art publication are key opinion leaders in the field of multimodality imaging. Professor Osman Ratib (Geneva) and Professor Markus Schwaiger (Munich) were the first in Europe to initiate the clinical adoption of PET/MR imaging. Professor Thomas Beyer (Zurich) is an internationally renowned pioneering physicist in the field of hybrid imaging. Individual clinical cases presented in this book are co-authored by leading international radiologists and nuclear physicians experts in the use of PET and MRI.

Magnetic resonance imaging-guided attenuation correction of positron emission tomography data in PET/MRI

OpenAIRE

Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Catana, Ciprian

2016-01-01

Attenuation correction (AC) is one of the most important challenges in the recently introduced combined positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MR) scanners. PET/MR AC (MR-AC) approaches aim to develop methods that allow accurate estimation of the linear attenuation coefficients (LACs) of the tissues and other components located in the PET field of view (FoV). MR-AC methods can be divided into three main categories: segmentation-, atlas- and PET-based. This review aims to...

2D imaging simulations of a small animal PET scanner with DOI measurement. jPET-RD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaya, Taiga; Hagiwara, Naoki

2005-01-01

We present a preliminary study on the design of a high sensitivity small animal depth of interaction (DOI)-PET scanner: jPET-RD (for Rodents with DOI detectors), which will contribute to molecular imaging. The 4-layer DOI block detector for the jPET-RD that consists of scintillation crystals (1.4 mm x 1.4 mm x 4.5 mm) and a flat panel position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (52 mm x 52 mm) was previously proposed. In this paper, we investigate imaging performance of the jPET-RD through numerical simulations. The scanner has a hexagonal geometry with a small diameter and a large axial aperture. Therefore DOI information is expected to improve resolution uniformity in the whole field of view (FOV). We simulate the scanner for various parameters of the number of DOI channels and the crystal length. Simulated data are reconstructed using the maximum likelihood expectation maximization with accurate system modeling. The trade-off results between background noise and spatial resolution show that only shortening the length of crystal does not improve the trade-off at all, and that 4-layer DOI information improves uniformity of spatial resolution in the whole FOV. Excellent performance of the jPET-RD can be expected based on the numerical simulation results. (author)

Bimodal MR-PET agent for quantitative pH imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Frullano, Luca; Catana, Ciprian; Benner, Thomas; Sherry, A. Dean; Caravan, Peter

2010-01-01

Activatable or “smart” magnetic resonance contrast agents have relaxivities that depend on environmental factors such as pH or enzymatic activity, but the MR signal depends on relaxivity and agent concentration – two unknowns. A bimodal approach, incorporating a positron emitter, solves this problem. Simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) and MR imaging with the biomodal, pH-responsive MR-PET agent GdDOTA-4AMP-F allows direct determination of both concentration (PET) and T1 (MRI), and hence pH. PMID:20191650

Prospective head-to-head comparison of {sup 11}C-choline-PET/MR and {sup 11}C-choline-PET/CT for restaging of biochemical recurrent prostate cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eiber, Matthias [Klinikum rechts der Isar, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Los Angeles (United States); Rauscher, Isabel; Souvatzoglou, Michael; Schwaiger, Markus [Klinikum rechts der Isar, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Maurer, Tobias [Klinikum rechts der Isar, Department of Urology, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Holzapfel, Konstantin [Klinikum rechts der Isar, Department of Radiology, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Beer, Ambros J. [Klinikum rechts der Isar, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Ulm University, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ulm (Germany)

2017-12-15

Whole-body integrated {sup 11}C-choline PET/MR might provide advantages compared to {sup 11}C-choline PET/CT for restaging of prostate cancer (PC) due to the high soft-tissue contrast and the use of multiparametric MRI, especially for detection of local recurrence and bone metastases. Ninety-four patients with recurrent PC underwent a single-injection/dual-imaging protocol with contrast-enhanced PET/CT followed by fully diagnostic PET/MR. Imaging datasets were read separately by two reader teams (team 1 and 2) assessing the presence of local recurrence, lymph node and bone metastases in predefined regions using a five-point scale. Detection rates were calculated. The diagnostic performance of PET/CT vs. PET/MR was compared using ROC analysis. Inter-observer and inter-modality variability, radiation exposure, and mean imaging time were evaluated. Clinical follow-up, imaging, and/or histopathology served as standard of reference (SOR). Seventy-five patients qualified for the final image analysis. A total of 188 regions were regarded as positive: local recurrence in 37 patients, 87 regions with lymph node metastases, and 64 regions with bone metastases. Mean detection rate between both readers teams for PET/MR was 84.7% compared to 77.3% for PET/CT (p > 0.05). Local recurrence was identified significantly more often in PET/MR compared to PET/CT by team 1. Lymph node and bone metastases were identified significantly more often in PET/CT compared to PET/MR by both teams. However, this difference was not present in the subgroup of patients with PSA values ≤2 ng/ml. Inter-modality and inter-observer agreement (K > 0.6) was moderate to substantial for nearly all categories. Mean reduction of radiation exposure for PET/MR compared to PET/CT was 79.7% (range, 72.6-86.2%). Mean imaging time for PET/CT was substantially lower (18.4 ± 0.7 min) compared to PET/MR (50.4 ± 7.9 min). {sup 11}C-choline PET/MR is a robust imaging modality for restaging biochemical recurrent PC

PET/MR imaging of bone lesions - implications for PET quantification from imperfect attenuation correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samarin, Andrei; Burger, Cyrill; Crook, David W.; Burger, Irene A.; Schmid, Daniel T.; Schulthess, Gustav K. von; Kuhn, Felix P.; Wollenweber, Scott D.

2012-01-01

Accurate attenuation correction (AC) is essential for quantitative analysis of PET tracer distribution. In MR, the lack of cortical bone signal makes bone segmentation difficult and may require implementation of special sequences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the need for accurate bone segmentation in MR-based AC for whole-body PET/MR imaging. In 22 patients undergoing sequential PET/CT and 3-T MR imaging, modified CT AC maps were produced by replacing pixels with values of >100 HU, representing mostly bone structures, by pixels with a constant value of 36 HU corresponding to soft tissue, thereby simulating current MR-derived AC maps. A total of 141 FDG-positive osseous lesions and 50 soft-tissue lesions adjacent to bones were evaluated. The mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean) was measured in each lesion in PET images reconstructed once using the standard AC maps and once using the modified AC maps. Subsequently, the errors in lesion tracer uptake for the modified PET images were calculated using the standard PET image as a reference. Substitution of bone by soft tissue values in AC maps resulted in an underestimation of tracer uptake in osseous and soft tissue lesions adjacent to bones of 11.2 ± 5.4 % (range 1.5-30.8 %) and 3.2 ± 1.7 % (range 0.2-4 %), respectively. Analysis of the spine and pelvic osseous lesions revealed a substantial dependence of the error on lesion composition. For predominantly sclerotic spine lesions, the mean underestimation was 15.9 ± 3.4 % (range 9.9-23.5 %) and for osteolytic spine lesions, 7.2 ± 1.7 % (range 4.9-9.3 %), respectively. CT data simulating treating bone as soft tissue as is currently done in MR maps for PET AC leads to a substantial underestimation of tracer uptake in bone lesions and depends on lesion composition, the largest error being seen in sclerotic lesions. Therefore, depiction of cortical bone and other calcified areas in MR AC maps is necessary for accurate quantification of tracer uptake

Field of view extension and truncation correction for MR-based human attenuation correction in simultaneous MR/PET imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blumhagen, Jan O.; Ladebeck, Ralf; Fenchel, Matthias; Braun, Harald; Quick, Harald H.; Faul, David; Scheffler, Klaus

2014-01-01

Purpose: In quantitative PET imaging, it is critical to accurately measure and compensate for the attenuation of the photons absorbed in the tissue. While in PET/CT the linear attenuation coefficients can be easily determined from a low-dose CT-based transmission scan, in whole-body MR/PET the computation of the linear attenuation coefficients is based on the MR data. However, a constraint of the MR-based attenuation correction (AC) is the MR-inherent field-of-view (FoV) limitation due to static magnetic field (B 0 ) inhomogeneities and gradient nonlinearities. Therefore, the MR-based human AC map may be truncated or geometrically distorted toward the edges of the FoV and, consequently, the PET reconstruction with MR-based AC may be biased. This is especially of impact laterally where the patient arms rest beside the body and are not fully considered. Methods: A method is proposed to extend the MR FoV by determining an optimal readout gradient field which locally compensates B 0 inhomogeneities and gradient nonlinearities. This technique was used to reduce truncation in AC maps of 12 patients, and the impact on the PET quantification was analyzed and compared to truncated data without applying the FoV extension and additionally to an established approach of PET-based FoV extension. Results: The truncation artifacts in the MR-based AC maps were successfully reduced in all patients, and the mean body volume was thereby increased by 5.4%. In some cases large patient-dependent changes in SUV of up to 30% were observed in individual lesions when compared to the standard truncated attenuation map. Conclusions: The proposed technique successfully extends the MR FoV in MR-based attenuation correction and shows an improvement of PET quantification in whole-body MR/PET hybrid imaging. In comparison to the PET-based completion of the truncated body contour, the proposed method is also applicable to specialized PET tracers with little uptake in the arms and might reduce the

A PET scanner developed by CERN

CERN Multimedia

Laurent Guiraud

1998-01-01

This image shows a Position Emission Tomography (PET) scanner at the Hopital Cantonal Universitaire de Genève. Development of the multiwire proportional chamber at CERN in the mid-1970s was soon seen as a potential device for medical imaging. It is much more sensitive than previous devices and greatly reduced the dose of radiation received by the patient.

PET/MR imaging of head/neck in the presence of dental implants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ladefoged, Claes; Beyer, Thomas; Keller, Sune

2013-01-01

Aim: In combined PET/MR, attenuation correction (AC) is performed indirectly based on the available MR image information. Implant-induced susceptibility artifacts and subsequent signal voids challenge MR-based AC (MR-AC). We evaluate the accuracy of MR-AC in PET/MR in patients with metallic denta...

Structured Light-Based Motion Tracking in the Limited View of an MR Head Coil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Erikshøj, M.; Olesen, Oline Vinter; Conradsen, Knut

2013-01-01

A markerless motion tracking (MT) system developed for use in PET brain imaging has been tested in the limited field of view (FOV) of the MR head coil from the Siemens Biograph mMR. The system is a 3D surface scanner that uses structured light (SL) to create point cloud reconstructions of the fac......A markerless motion tracking (MT) system developed for use in PET brain imaging has been tested in the limited field of view (FOV) of the MR head coil from the Siemens Biograph mMR. The system is a 3D surface scanner that uses structured light (SL) to create point cloud reconstructions...

Design Optimization of a TOF, Breast PET Scanner

OpenAIRE

Lee, Eunsin; Werner, Matthew E.; Karp, Joel S.; Surti, Suleman

2013-01-01

A dedicated breast positron emission tomography (PET) scanner with limited angle geometry can provide flexibility in detector placement around the patient as well as the ability to combine it with other imaging modalities. A primary challenge of a stationary limited angle scanner is the reduced image quality due to artifacts present in the reconstructed image leading to a loss in quantitative information. Previously it has been shown that using time-of-flight (TOF) information in image recons...

Quantitative comparison of PET performance—Siemens Biograph mCT and mMR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karlberg, Anna M.; Sæther, Oddbjørn [Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Olav Kyrres gt 17, 7006 Trondheim (Norway); Eikenes, Live [Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Postbox 8905, 7491 Trondheim (Norway); Goa, Pål Erik [Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Olav Kyrres gt 17, 7006 Trondheim (Norway); Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim (Norway)

2016-02-25

Integrated clinical whole-body PET/MR systems were introduced in 2010. In order to bring this technology into clinical usage, it is of great importance to compare the performance with the well-established PET/CT. The aim of this study was to evaluate PET performance, with focus on image quality, on Siemens Biograph mMR (PET/MR) and Siemens Biograph mCT (PET/CT). A direct quantitative comparison of the performance characteristics between the mMR and mCT system was performed according to National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 2-2007 protocol. Spatial resolution, sensitivity, count rate and image quality were evaluated. The evaluation was supplemented with additional standardized uptake value (SUV) measurements. The spatial resolution was similar for the two systems. Average sensitivity was higher for the mMR (13.3 kcps/MBq) compared to the mCT system (10.0 kcps/MBq). Peak noise equivalent count rate (NECR) was slightly higher for the mMR (196 kcps @ 24.4 kBq/mL) compared to the mCT (186 kcps @ 30.1 kBq/mL). Scatter fractions in the clinical activity concentration range yielded lower values for the mCT (34.9 %) compared to those for the mMR (37.0 %). Best image quality of the systems resulted in approximately the same mean hot sphere contrast and a difference of 19 percentage points (pp) in mean cold contrast, in favour of the mCT. In general, point spread function (PSF) increased hot contrast and time of flight (TOF) increased both hot and cold contrast. Highest hot contrast for the smallest sphere (10 mm) was achieved with the combination of TOF and PSF on the mCT. Lung residual error was higher for the mMR (22 %) than that for the mCT (17 %), with no effect of PSF. With TOF, lung residual error was reduced to 8 % (mCT). SUV was accurate for both systems, but PSF caused overestimations for the 13-, 17- and 22-mm spheres. Both systems proved good performance characteristics, and the PET image quality of the mMR was close to that of the m

SiliPET: An ultra high resolution design of a small animal PET scanner based on double sided silicon strip detector stacks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zavattini, G.; Cesca, N.; Di Domenico, G.; Moretti, E.; Sabba, N.

2006-01-01

We investigated the capabilities of a small animal PET scanner, named SiliPET, based on four stacks of double sided silicon strips detectors. Each stack consists of 40 silicon detectors with dimension 60x60x1mm 3 . These are arranged to form a box 5x5x6cm 3 with minor sides opened; the box represents the maximal FOV of the scanner. The performance parameters of SiliPET scanner have been estimated, giving an intrinsic spatial resolution of 0.52mm and a sensitivity of 5.1% at the center of the system

Comparative analysis of PET/CT and PET/MR image characteristics of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma%对比分析头颈部鳞状细胞癌PET/CT与PET/MR特征

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

白乐; 程勇; 唐勇进; 凌雪英

2017-01-01

Objective To investigate PET/CT and PET/MR characteristics of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).Methods Totally 40 patients with HNSCC underwent whole body 18F-FDG PET/CT and MR scans of head and neck before anti-tumor treatment.PET positive lesions of HNSCC,including primary lesions and lymph nodes were evaluated by 2 radiologists independently.Then the imaging quality,fusion quality,lesion conspicuity and lesion characteristics were assessed based on PET/CT,PET/MR T1WI and PET/MR T2WI.Results Ninety PET positive lesions in all 40patients were evaluated,including 40 primary lesions and 50 lymph nodes.Similar imaging quality and fusion quality of PET/CT,PET/MR T1WI and PET/MR T2WI were obtained without statistical difference (both P＞0.05).For the lesion conspicuity,PET/MR T1WI and PET/MR T2WI demonstrated significantly better than PET/CT in positive primary lesions and lymph nodes (all P＜0.05).For the characteristics of positive primary lesions,PET/MR T2WI provided more information than PET/CT in 29 lesions,equal to PET/CT in 4 lesions,and less than PET/CT in 7 lesions.Conclusion The application of PET/MR in HNSCC is feasible,being superior to PET/CT in indication of lesions in head and neck area.%目的 探讨头颈部鳞状细胞癌(HNSCC)的PET/CT及PET/MR特征.方法 纳入未经抗肿瘤治疗的头颈部鳞状细胞癌患者40例,所有患者均接受PET/CT及头颈部MR检查.由2名观察者独立观察PET阳性病灶,包括阳性原发灶及阳性淋巴结;并对PET/CT、PET/MR T1WI及PET/MR T2WI的图像质量、融合准确度、病灶清晰度、病灶特征等进行评分.分析2名观察者间的一致性.结果 40例患者共90个PET阳性病灶,包括阳性原发灶40个、阳性淋巴结50个.PET/CT、PET/MR T1WI及PET/MR T2WI在图像质量及融合准确度方面差异均无统计学意义(P均＞0.05);在显示阳性原发灶及阳性淋巴结的清晰度方面,PET/MR T1WI及PET/MR T2WI均优于PET/CT(P均＜0.05).40个阳性原发灶中,PET/MR

Image-derived input function obtained in a 3TMR-brainPET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, N.A. da [Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Lisbon (Portugal); Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine - 4, Juelich (Germany); Herzog, H., E-mail: h.herzog@fz-juelich.de [Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine - 4, Juelich (Germany); Weirich, C.; Tellmann, L.; Rota Kops, E. [Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine - 4, Juelich (Germany); Hautzel, H. [Department of Nuclear Medicine (KME), University of Duesseldorf, Medical Faculty at Research Center Juelich, Juelich (Germany); Almeida, P. [Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Lisbon (Portugal)

2013-02-21

Aim: The combination of a high-resolution MR-compatible BrainPET insert operated within a 3 T MAGNETOM Trio MR scanner is an excellent tool for obtaining an image derived input function (IDIF), due to simultaneous imaging. In this work, we explore the possibility of obtaining an IDIF from volumes of interest (VOI) defined over the carotid arteries (CAs) using the MR data. Material and methods: FDG data from three patients without brain disorders were included. VOIs were drawn bilaterally over the CAs on a MPRAGE image using a 50% isocontour (MR50VOI). CA PET/MR co-registration was examined based on an individual and combined CA co-registration. After that, to estimate the IDIF, the MR50VOI average (IDIF-A), four hottest pixels per plane (IDIF-4H) and four hottest pixels in VOI (IDIF-4V) were considered. A model-based correction for residual partial volume effects involving venous blood samples was applied, from which partial volume (PV) and spillover (SP) coefficients were estimated. Additionally, a theoretical PV coefficient (PVt) was calculated based on MR50VOI. Results: The results show an excellent co-registration between the MR and PET, with an area under the curve ratio between both co-registration methods of 1.00±0.04. A good agreement between PV and PVt was found for IDIF-A, with PV of 0.39±0.06 and PVt 0.40±0.03, and for IDIF-4H, with PV of 0.47±0.05 and PVt 0.47±0.03. The SPs were 0.20±0.03 and 0.21±0.03 for IDIF-A and IDIF-4H, respectively. Conclusion: The integration of a high resolution BrainPET in an MR scanner allows to obtain an IDIF from an MR-based VOI. This must be corrected for a residual partial volume effect.

Small animal simultaneous PET/MRI: initial experiences in a 9.4 T microMRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maramraju, Sri Harsha; Ravindranath, Bosky; Vaska, Paul; Schlyer, David J [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY (United States); Smith, S David; Schulz, Daniela [Medical Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States); Junnarkar, Sachin S; Rescia, Sergio [Instrumentation Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States); Stoll, Sean; Purschke, Martin L; Woody, Craig L [Physics Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States); Southekal, Sudeepti [Brigham and Women' s Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Pratte, Jean-Francois, E-mail: schlyer@bnl.gov [Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec (Canada)

2011-04-21

We developed a non-magnetic positron-emission tomography (PET) device based on the rat conscious animal PET that operates in a small-animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, thereby enabling us to carry out simultaneous PET/MRI studies. The PET detector comprises 12 detector blocks, each being a 4 x 8 array of lutetium oxyorthosilicate crystals (2.22 x 2.22 x 5 mm{sup 3}) coupled to a matching non-magnetic avalanche photodiode array. The detector blocks, housed in a plastic case, form a 38 mm inner diameter ring with an 18 mm axial extent. Custom-built MRI coils fit inside the positron-emission tomography (PET) device, operating in transceiver mode. The PET insert is integrated with a Bruker 9.4 T 210 mm clear-bore diameter MRI scanner. We acquired simultaneous PET/MR images of phantoms, of in vivo rat brain, and of cardiac-gated mouse heart using [{sup 11}C]raclopride and 2-deoxy-2-[{sup 18}F]fluoro-d-glucose PET radiotracers. There was minor interference between the PET electronics and the MRI during simultaneous operation, and small effects on the signal-to-noise ratio in the MR images in the presence of the PET, but no noticeable visual artifacts. Gradient echo and high-duty-cycle spin echo radio frequency (RF) pulses resulted in a 7% and a 28% loss in PET counts, respectively, due to high PET counts during the RF pulses that had to be gated out. The calibration of the activity concentration of PET data during MR pulsing is reproducible within less than 6%. Our initial results demonstrate the feasibility of performing simultaneous PET and MRI studies in adult rats and mice using the same PET insert in a small-bore 9.4 T MRI.

Detection and quantification of focal uptake in head and neck tumours: {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MR versus PET/CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varoquaux, Arthur; Rager, Olivier; Ratib, Osman; Becker, Christoph D.; Zaidi, Habib; Becker, Minerva [Geneva University Hospital, Department of Imaging, Divisions of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Geneva 14 (Switzerland); Poncet, Antoine [Geneva University Hospital, Center for Clinical Research, Geneva (Switzerland); Delattre, Benedicte M.A. [Geneva University Hospital, Department of Imaging, Divisions of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Geneva 14 (Switzerland); Philips Healthcare AG, Nuclear Medicine Division, Gland (Switzerland); Dulguerov, Pavel; Dulguerov, Nicolas [Geneva University Hospital, Clinic of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Geneva (Switzerland)

2014-03-15

Our objectives were to assess the quality of PET images and coregistered anatomic images obtained with PET/MR, to evaluate the detection of focal uptake and SUV, and to compare these findings with those of PET/CT in patients with head and neck tumours. The study group comprised 32 consecutive patients with malignant head and neck tumours who underwent whole-body {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MR and PET/CT. PET images were reconstructed using the attenuation correction sequence for PET/MR and CT for PET/CT. Two experienced observers evaluated the anonymized data. They evaluated image and fusion quality, lesion conspicuity, anatomic location, number and size of categorized (benign versus assumed malignant) lesions with focal uptake. Region of interest (ROI) analysis was performed to determine SUVs of lesions and organs for both modalities. Statistical analysis considered data clustering due to multiple lesions per patient. PET/MR coregistration and image fusion was feasible in all patients. The analysis included 66 malignant lesions (tumours, metastatic lymph nodes and distant metastases), 136 benign lesions and 470 organ ROIs. There was no statistically significant difference between PET/MR and PET/CT regarding rating scores for image quality, fusion quality, lesion conspicuity or anatomic location, number of detected lesions and number of patients with and without malignant lesions. A high correlation was observed for SUV{sub mean} and SUV{sub max} measured on PET/MR and PET/CT for malignant lesions, benign lesions and organs (ρ = 0.787 to 0.877, p < 0.001). SUV{sub mean} and SUV{sub max} measured on PET/MR were significantly lower than on PET/CT for malignant tumours, metastatic neck nodes, benign lesions, bone marrow, and liver (p < 0.05). The main factor affecting the difference between SUVs in malignant lesions was tumour size (p < 0.01). In patients with head and neck tumours, PET/MR showed equivalent performance to PET/CT in terms of qualitative results. Comparison of

An ASIC implementation of digital front-end electronics for a high resolution PET scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newport, D.F.; Young, J.W.

1993-01-01

AN Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) has been designed and fabricated which implements many of the current functions found in the digital front-end electronics for a high resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner. The ASIC performs crystal selection, energy qualification, time correction, and event counting functions for block technology high resolution PET scanners. Digitized x and y position, event energy, and time information are used by the ASIC to determine block crystal number, qualify the event based on energy, and correct the event time. In addition, event counting and block dead time calculations are performed for system dead time corrections. A loadable sequencer for controlling the analog front-end electronics is also implemented. The ASIC is implemented in a 37,000 gate, 1.0 micron CMOS gate-array and is capable of handling 4 million events/second while reducing parts count, cost, and power consumption over current board-level designs

Optimized MLAA for quantitative non-TOF PET/MR of the brain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Benoit, Didier; Ladefoged, Claes N.; Rezaei, Ahmadreza

2016-01-01

For quantitative tracer distribution in positron emission tomography, attenuation correction is essential. In a hybrid PET/CT system the CT images serve as a basis for generation of the attenuation map, but in PET/MR, the MR images do not have a similarly simple relationship with the attenuation...... map. Hence attenuation correction in PET/MR systems is more challenging. Typically either of two MR sequences are used: the Dixon or the ultra-short time echo (UTE) techniques. However these sequences have some well-known limitations. In this study, a reconstruction technique based on a modified...... and optimized non-TOF MLAA is proposed for PET/MR brain imaging. The idea is to tune the parameters of the MLTR applying some information from an attenuation image computed from the UTE sequences and a T1w MR image. In this MLTR algorithm, an [Formula: see text] parameter is introduced and optimized in order...

Influence of detector pixel size, TOF resolution and DOI on image quality in MR-compatible whole-body PET.

Science.gov (United States)

Thoen, Hendrik; Keereman, Vincent; Mollet, Pieter; Van Holen, Roel; Vandenberghe, Stefaan

2013-09-21

The optimization of a whole-body PET system remains a challenging task, as the imaging performance is influenced by a complex interaction of different design parameters. However, it is not always clear which parameters have the largest impact on image quality and are most eligible for optimization. To determine this, we need to be able to assess their influence on image quality. We performed Monte-Carlo simulations of a whole-body PET scanner to predict the influence on image quality of three detector parameters: the TOF resolution, the transverse pixel size and depth-of-interaction (DOI)-correction. The inner diameter of the PET scanner was 65 cm, small enough to allow physical integration into a simultaneous PET-MR system. Point sources were used to evaluate the influence of transverse pixel size and DOI-correction on spatial resolution as function of radial distance. To evaluate the influence on contrast recovery and pixel noise a cylindrical phantom of 35 cm diameter was used, representing a large patient. The phantom contained multiple hot lesions with 5 mm diameter. These lesions were placed at radial distances of 50, 100 and 150 mm from the center of the field-of-view, to be able to study the effects at different radial positions. The non-prewhitening (NPW) observer was used for objective analysis of the detectability of the hot lesions in the cylindrical phantom. Based on this analysis the NPW-SNR was used to quantify the relative improvements in image quality due to changes of the variable detector parameters. The image quality of a whole-body PET scanner can be improved significantly by reducing the transverse pixel size from 4 to 2.6 mm and improving the TOF resolution from 600 to 400 ps and further from 400 to 200 ps. Compared to pixel size, the TOF resolution has the larger potential to increase image quality for the simulated phantom. The introduction of two layer DOI-correction only leads to a modest improvement for the spheres at radial

Influence of detector pixel size, TOF resolution and DOI on image quality in MR-compatible whole-body PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thoen, Hendrik; Keereman, Vincent; Mollet, Pieter; Van Holen, Roel; Vandenberghe, Stefaan

2013-01-01

The optimization of a whole-body PET system remains a challenging task, as the imaging performance is influenced by a complex interaction of different design parameters. However, it is not always clear which parameters have the largest impact on image quality and are most eligible for optimization. To determine this, we need to be able to assess their influence on image quality. We performed Monte-Carlo simulations of a whole-body PET scanner to predict the influence on image quality of three detector parameters: the TOF resolution, the transverse pixel size and depth-of-interaction (DOI)-correction. The inner diameter of the PET scanner was 65 cm, small enough to allow physical integration into a simultaneous PET-MR system. Point sources were used to evaluate the influence of transverse pixel size and DOI-correction on spatial resolution as function of radial distance. To evaluate the influence on contrast recovery and pixel noise a cylindrical phantom of 35 cm diameter was used, representing a large patient. The phantom contained multiple hot lesions with 5 mm diameter. These lesions were placed at radial distances of 50, 100 and 150 mm from the center of the field-of-view, to be able to study the effects at different radial positions. The non-prewhitening (NPW) observer was used for objective analysis of the detectability of the hot lesions in the cylindrical phantom. Based on this analysis the NPW-SNR was used to quantify the relative improvements in image quality due to changes of the variable detector parameters. The image quality of a whole-body PET scanner can be improved significantly by reducing the transverse pixel size from 4 to 2.6 mm and improving the TOF resolution from 600 to 400 ps and further from 400 to 200 ps. Compared to pixel size, the TOF resolution has the larger potential to increase image quality for the simulated phantom. The introduction of two layer DOI-correction only leads to a modest improvement for the spheres at radial distance of

A combined positron emission tomography (PET)-electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) system: initial evaluation of a prototype scanner

Science.gov (United States)

Tseytlin, Mark; Stolin, Alexander V.; Guggilapu, Priyaankadevi; Bobko, Andrey A.; Khramtsov, Valery V.; Tseytlin, Oxana; Raylman, Raymond R.

2018-05-01

The advent of hybrid scanners, combining complementary modalities, has revolutionized the application of advanced imaging technology to clinical practice and biomedical research. In this project, we investigated the melding of two complementary, functional imaging methods: positron emission tomography (PET) and electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI). PET radiotracers can provide important information about cellular parameters, such as glucose metabolism. While EPR probes can provide assessment of tissue microenvironment, measuring oxygenation and pH, for example. Therefore, a combined PET/EPRI scanner promises to provide new insights not attainable with current imagers by simultaneous acquisition of multiple components of tissue microenvironments. To explore the simultaneous acquisition of PET and EPR images, a prototype system was created by combining two existing scanners. Specifically, a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)-based PET scanner ring designed as a portable scanner was combined with an EPRI scanner designed for the imaging of small animals. The ability of the system to obtain simultaneous images was assessed with a small phantom consisting of four cylinders containing both a PET tracer and EPR spin probe. The resulting images demonstrated the ability to obtain contemporaneous PET and EPR images without cross-modality interference. Given the promising results from this initial investigation, the next step in this project is the construction of the next generation pre-clinical PET/EPRI scanner for multi-parametric assessment of physiologically-important parameters of tissue microenvironments.

Geometric calibration between PET scanner and structured light scanner

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjer, Hans Martin; Olesen, Oline Vinter; Paulsen, Rasmus Reinhold

2011-01-01

Head movements degrade the image quality of high resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain studies through blurring and artifacts. Manny image reconstruction methods allows for motion correction if the head position is tracked continuously during the study. Our method for motion tracking...... is a structured light scanner placed just above the patient tunnel on the High Resolution Research Tomograph (HRRT, Siemens). It continuously registers point clouds of a part of the patient's face. The relative motion is estimated as the rigid transformation between frames. A geometric calibration between...

Design of the PET–MR system for head imaging of the DREAM Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González, A.J.; Conde, P.; Hernández, L.; Herrero, V.; Moliner, L.; Monzó, J.M.; Orero, A.; Peiró, A.; Rodríguez-Álvarez, M.J.; Ros, A.; Sánchez, F.; Soriano, A.; Vidal, L.F.; Benlloch, J.M.

2013-01-01

In this paper we describe the overall design of a PET–MR system for head imaging within the framework of the DREAM Project as well as the first detector module tests. The PET system design consists of 4 rings of 16 detector modules each and it is expected to be integrated in a head dedicated radio frequency coil of an MR scanner. The PET modules are based on monolithic LYSO crystals coupled by means of optical devices to an array of 256 Silicon Photomultipliers. These types of crystals allow to preserve the scintillation light distribution and, thus, to recover the exact photon impact position with the proper characterization of such a distribution. Every module contains 4 Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) which return detailed information of several light statistical momenta. The preliminary tests carried out on this design and controlled by means of ASICs have shown promising results towards the suitability of hybrid PET–MR systems

PET/MR Imaging in Vascular Disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ripa, Rasmus Sejersten; Pedersen, Sune Folke; Kjær, Andreas

2016-01-01

For imaging of atherosclerotic disease, lumenography using computed tomography, ultrasonography, or invasive angiography is still the backbone of evaluation. However, these methods are less effective to predict the likelihood of future thromboembolic events caused by vulnerability of plaques. PET...... through data and arguments that support increased use of PET/MR imaging in atherosclerotic imaging....

Novel design of a parallax free Compton enhanced PET scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braem, A.; Chamizo, M.; Chesi, E.; Colonna, N.; Cusanno, F.; De Leo, R.; Garibaldi, F.; Joram, C.; Marrone, S.; Mathot, S.; Nappi, E.; Schoenahl, F.; Seguinot, J.; Weilhammer, P.; Zaidi, H.

2004-01-01

Molecular imaging by PET is a powerful tool in modern clinical practice for cancer diagnosis. Nevertheless, improvements are needed with respect to the spatial resolution and sensitivity of the technique for its application to specific human organs (breast, prostate, brain, etc.), and to small animals. Presently, commercial PET scanners do not detect the depth of interaction of photons in scintillators, which results in a not negligible parallax error. We describe here a novel concept of PET scanner design that provides full three-dimensional (3D) gamma reconstruction with high spatial resolution over the total detector volume, free of parallax errors. It uses matrices of long scintillators read at both ends by hybrid photon detectors. This so-called 3D axial concept also enhances the gamma detection efficiency since it allows one to reconstruct a significant fraction of Compton scattered events. In this note, we describe the concept, a possible design and the expected performance of this new PET device. We also report about first characterization measurements of 10 cm long YAP:Ce scintillation crystals

Comparison of the performance of {sup 18}F-FP-CIT brain PET/MR and simultaneous PET/CT: A preliminary study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Sang Don; Chun, Kyung Ah [Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

2016-09-15

{sup 18}F-FP-CIT [{sup 1'}8F-fluorinated N-3-fluoropropyl-2-beta-carboxymethoxy-3-beta-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane] has been well established and used for the differential diagnosis of atypical parkinsonian disorders. Recently, combined positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) was proposed as a viable alternative to PET/computed tomography (CT). The aim of this study was to compare the performances of conventional {sup 18}F-FP-CIT brain PET/CT and simultaneous PET/MR by visual inspection and quantitative analysis. Fifteen consecutive patients clinically suspected of having Parkinson's disease were recruited for the study.{sup 18}F-FP-CIT PET was performed during PET/CT and PET/MR. PET/CT image acquisition was started 90 min after intravenous injection of {sup 18}F-FP-CIT and then PET/MR images were acquired. Dopamine transporter (DAT) density in bilateral striatal subregions was assessed visually. Quantitative analyses were performed on bilateral striatal volumes of interest (VOIs) using average standardized uptake values (SUVmeans). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and their 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were assessed to compare PET/CT and PET/MR data. Bland-Altman plots were drawn to perform method-comparisons. All subjects showed a preferential decrease in DAT binding in the posterior putamen (PP), with relative sparing of the ventral putamen (VP). Bilateral striatal subregional binding ratio (BR) determined PET/CT and PET/MR demonstrated close interequipment correspondence (BRright caudate - ICC, 0.944; 95 % CI, 0.835-0.981, BRleft caudate - ICC, 0.917; 95 % CI, 0.753-0.972, BRright putamen - ICC, 0.976; 95 % CI, 0.929-0.992 and BRleft putamen - ICC, 0.970; 95 % CI, 0.911-0.990, respectively), and Bland-Altman plots showed interequipment agreement between the two modalities. It is known that MR provides more information about anatomical changes associated with brain diseases and to enable the anatomical allocations of

Clinical significance of creative 3D-image fusion across multimodalities [PET + CT + MR] based on characteristic coregistration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Matthew Jian-qiao; Ju Xiangyang; Khambay, Balvinder S.; Ayoub, Ashraf F.; Chen, Chin-Tu; Bai Bo

2012-01-01

Objective: To investigate a registration approach for 2-dimension (2D) based on characteristic localization to achieve 3-dimension (3D) fusion from images of PET, CT and MR one by one. Method: A cubic oriented scheme of“9-point and 3-plane” for co-registration design was verified to be geometrically practical. After acquisiting DICOM data of PET/CT/MR (directed by radiotracer 18 F-FDG etc.), through 3D reconstruction and virtual dissection, human internal feature points were sorted to combine with preselected external feature points for matching process. By following the procedure of feature extraction and image mapping, “picking points to form planes” and “picking planes for segmentation” were executed. Eventually, image fusion was implemented at real-time workstation mimics based on auto-fuse techniques so called “information exchange” and “signal overlay”. Result: The 2D and 3D images fused across modalities of [CT + MR], [PET + MR], [PET + CT] and [PET + CT + MR] were tested on data of patients suffered from tumors. Complementary 2D/3D images simultaneously presenting metabolic activities and anatomic structures were created with detectable-rate of 70%, 56%, 54% (or 98%) and 44% with no significant difference for each in statistics. Conclusion: Currently, based on the condition that there is no complete hybrid detector integrated of triple-module [PET + CT + MR] internationally, this sort of multiple modality fusion is doubtlessly an essential complement for the existing function of single modality imaging.

A combined positron emission tomography (PET)- electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) system: initial evaluation of a prototype scanner.

Science.gov (United States)

Tseytlin, Mark; Stolin, Alexander V; Guggilapu, Priyaankadevi; Bobko, Andrey A; Khramtsov, Valery V; Tseytlin, Oxana; Raylman, Raymond R

2018-04-20

The advent of hybrid scanners, combining complementary modalities, has revolutionized imaging; enhancing clinical practice and biomedical research. In this project, we investigated the melding of two complementary, functional imaging methods: positron emission tomography (PET) and electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI). The PET radiotracers can provide important information about cellular parameters, such as glucose metabolism. While EPR probes can provide assessment of tissue microenvironment, measuring parameters such as oxygenation and pH, for example. A combined PET/EPRI scanner has the promise to provide new insights not attainable with current imagers by simultaneous acquisition of multiple components of tissue microenvironments. In this investigation, a prototype system was created by combing two existing scanners, modified for simultaneous imaging. Specifically, a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) based PET scanner ring designed as a portable scanner was combined with an EPRI scanner designed for the imaging of small animals. The ability of the system to obtain simultaneous images was assessed with a small phantom consisting of four cylinders containing both PET and EPR tracers. The resulting images demonstrated the ability to obtain contemporaneous PET and ERP images without cross-modality interference. The next step in this project is the construction of pre-clinical PET/EPRI scanner for multi-parametric assessment of physiologically important parameters of tissue microenvironments. . © 2018 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.

Prostate cancer: a comparative study of {sup 11}C-choline PET and MR imaging combined with proton MR spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamaguchi, Takako; Lee, Jin; Takahashi, Nobukazu; Oka, Takashi; Shizukuishi, Kazuya; Inoue, Tomio [Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Yokohama (Japan); Uemura, Hiroji; Kubota, Yoshinobu [Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Kanagawa (Japan); Sasaki, Takeshi [Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Kanagawa (Japan); Endou, Hisashi [Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacy, Kanagawa (Japan)

2005-07-01

Prostate cancer is difficult to visualise in its early stages using current imaging technology. The present study aimed to clarify the utility of {sup 11}C-choline PET for localising and evaluating cancer lesions in patients with prostate cancer by conducting a prospective comparison with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging combined with proton MR spectroscopy. PET and MR imaging combined with proton MR spectroscopy were performed in 20 patients with prostate cancer. Correlations among the metabolite ratio of choline + creatine to citrate (Cho+Cr/Ci) on MR spectroscopy, serum PSA and maximum standardised uptake value (SUV{sub max}) of {sup 11}C-choline were assessed. The location of the primary lesion was assessed by the site of SUV{sub max} and the laterality of the highest Cho+Cr/Ci ratio and confirmed by examination of surgical pathology specimens (n=16). PET exhibited a diagnostic sensitivity of 100% (20/20) for primary lesions, while the sensitivities of MR imaging and MR spectroscopy were 60% (12/20) and 65% (13/20), respectively. Weak linear correlations were observed between SUV{sub max} and serum PSA (r=0.52, p<0.05), and between SUV{sub max} and Cho+Cr/Ci ratio (r=0.49, p<0.05). Regarding the localisation of main primary lesions, PET results agreed with pathological findings in 13 patients (81%) ({kappa}=0.59), while MR spectroscopy results were in accordance with pathological findings in eight patients (50%) ({kappa}=0.11). This preliminary study suggests that {sup 11}C-choline PET may provide more accurate information regarding the localisation of main primary prostate cancer lesions than MR imaging/MR spectroscopy. A further clinical study of {sup 11}C-choline PET in a large number of patients suspected of prostate cancer will be necessary to determine the clinical utility of {sup 11}C-choline PET in patients who clinically require biopsy. (orig.)

Simultaneous PET/MR head–neck cancer imaging: Preliminary clinical experience and multiparametric evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Covello, M.; Cavaliere, C.; Aiello, M.; Cianelli, M.S.; Mesolella, M.; Iorio, B.; Rossi, A.; Nicolai, E.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Simultaneous PET/MRI is a suitable tool for head/neck T-staging. • No significant differences have been found for PET measures get by both PET/CT and PET/MRI. • SUV 2D and 3D measures in HN lesion offer comparable estimations. • Multiparametric evaluation allows a complete characterization of HN lesions. - Abstract: Purpose: To evaluate the role of simultaneous hybrid PET/MR imaging and to correlate metabolic PET data with morpho-functional parameters derived by MRI in patients with head–neck cancer. Methods: Forty-four patients, with histologically confirmed head and neck malignancy (22 primary tumors and 22 follow-up) were studied. Patients initially received a clinical exam and endoscopy with direct biopsy. Next patients underwent whole body PET/CT followed by PET/MR of the head/neck region. PET and MRI studies were separately evaluated by two blinded groups (both included one radiologist and one nuclear physician) in order to define the presence or absence of lesions/recurrences. Regions of interest (ROIs) analysis was conducted on the primary lesion at the level of maximum size on metabolic (SUV and MTV), diffusion (ADC) and perfusion (K trans , V e , k ep and iAUC) parameters. Results: PET/MR examinations were successfully performed on all 44 patients. Agreement between the two blinded groups was found in anatomic allocation of lesions by PET/MR (Primary tumors: Cohen's kappa 0.93; Follow-up: Cohen's kappa 0.89). There was a significant correlation between CT-SUV measures and MR (e.g., CT-SUV VOI vs. MR-SUV VOI: ρ = 0.97, p < 0.001 for the entire sample). There was also significant positive correlations between the ROI area, SUV measures, and the metabolic parameters (SUV and MTV) obtained during both PET/CT and PET/MR. A significant negative correlation was observed between ADC and K trans values in the primary tumors. In addition, a significant negative correlation existed between MR SUV and ADC in recurrent tumors

Standardized uptake value and apparent diffusion coefficient of endometrial cancer evaluated with integrated whole-body PET/MR: Correlation with pathological prognostic factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, I-Lun; Yen, Ruoh-Fang; Chen, Chi-An; Chen, Bang-Bin; Wei, Shwu-Yuan; Chang, Wen-Chun; Sheu, Bor-Ching; Cheng, Wen-Fang; Tseng, Yao-Hui; Chen, Xin-Jia; Chen, Chi-Hau; Wei, Lin-Hung; Chiang, Ying-Cheng; Torng, Pao-Ling; Yen, Men-Luh; Shih, Tiffany Ting-Fang

2015-12-01

To evaluate the correlation between maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax ) and minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCmin ) of endometrial cancer derived from an integrated positron emission tomography / magnetic resonance (PET/MR) system and to determine their correlation with pathological prognostic factors. This prospective study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the hospital, and informed consent was obtained. Between April and December 2014, 47 consecutive patients with endometrial cancer were enrolled and underwent simultaneous PET/MR examinations before surgery. Thirty-six patients with measurable tumors on PET/MR were included for image analysis. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between SUVmax and ADCmin of the tumors. The Mann-Whitney U-test was utilized to evaluate relationships between these two imaging biomarkers and pathological prognostic factors. The mean SUVmax and ADCmin were 14.7 ± 7.1 and 0.48 ± 0.13 × 10(-3) mm(2) /s, respectively. A significant inverse correlation was found between SUVmax and ADCmin (r = -0.53; P = 0.001). SUVmax was significantly higher in tumors with advanced stage, deep myometrial invasion, cervical invasion, lymphovascular space involvement, and lymph node metastasis (P correlated and are associated with pathological prognostic factors. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Impact of improved attenuation correction featuring a bone atlas and truncation correction on PET quantification in whole-body PET/MR.

Science.gov (United States)

Oehmigen, Mark; Lindemann, Maike E; Gratz, Marcel; Kirchner, Julian; Ruhlmann, Verena; Umutlu, Lale; Blumhagen, Jan Ole; Fenchel, Matthias; Quick, Harald H

2018-04-01

Recent studies have shown an excellent correlation between PET/MR and PET/CT hybrid imaging in detecting lesions. However, a systematic underestimation of PET quantification in PET/MR has been observed. This is attributable to two methodological challenges of MR-based attenuation correction (AC): (1) lack of bone information, and (2) truncation of the MR-based AC maps (μmaps) along the patient arms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of improved AC featuring a bone atlas and truncation correction on PET quantification in whole-body PET/MR. The MR-based Dixon method provides four-compartment μmaps (background air, lungs, fat, soft tissue) which served as a reference for PET/MR AC in this study. A model-based bone atlas provided bone tissue as a fifth compartment, while the HUGE method provided truncation correction. The study population comprised 51 patients with oncological diseases, all of whom underwent a whole-body PET/MR examination. Each whole-body PET dataset was reconstructed four times using standard four-compartment μmaps, five-compartment μmaps, four-compartment μmaps + HUGE, and five-compartment μmaps + HUGE. The SUV max for each lesion was measured to assess the impact of each μmap on PET quantification. All four μmaps in each patient provided robust results for reconstruction of the AC PET data. Overall, SUV max was quantified in 99 tumours and lesions. Compared to the reference four-compartment μmap, the mean SUV max of all 99 lesions increased by 1.4 ± 2.5% when bone was added, by 2.1 ± 3.5% when HUGE was added, and by 4.4 ± 5.7% when bone + HUGE was added. Larger quantification bias of up to 35% was found for single lesions when bone and truncation correction were added to the μmaps, depending on their individual location in the body. The novel AC method, featuring a bone model and truncation correction, improved PET quantification in whole-body PET/MR imaging. Short reconstruction times, straightforward

Impact of improved attenuation correction featuring a bone atlas and truncation correction on PET quantification in whole-body PET/MR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oehmigen, Mark; Lindemann, Maike E. [University Hospital Essen, High Field and Hybrid MR Imaging, Essen (Germany); Gratz, Marcel; Quick, Harald H. [University Hospital Essen, High Field and Hybrid MR Imaging, Essen (Germany); University Duisburg-Essen, Erwin L. Hahn Institute for MR Imaging, Essen (Germany); Kirchner, Julian [University Dusseldorf, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Dusseldorf (Germany); Ruhlmann, Verena [University Hospital Essen, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Essen (Germany); Umutlu, Lale [University Hospital Essen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Essen (Germany); Blumhagen, Jan Ole; Fenchel, Matthias [Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen (Germany)

2018-04-15

Recent studies have shown an excellent correlation between PET/MR and PET/CT hybrid imaging in detecting lesions. However, a systematic underestimation of PET quantification in PET/MR has been observed. This is attributable to two methodological challenges of MR-based attenuation correction (AC): (1) lack of bone information, and (2) truncation of the MR-based AC maps (μmaps) along the patient arms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of improved AC featuring a bone atlas and truncation correction on PET quantification in whole-body PET/MR. The MR-based Dixon method provides four-compartment μmaps (background air, lungs, fat, soft tissue) which served as a reference for PET/MR AC in this study. A model-based bone atlas provided bone tissue as a fifth compartment, while the HUGE method provided truncation correction. The study population comprised 51 patients with oncological diseases, all of whom underwent a whole-body PET/MR examination. Each whole-body PET dataset was reconstructed four times using standard four-compartment μmaps, five-compartment μmaps, four-compartment μmaps + HUGE, and five-compartment μmaps + HUGE. The SUV{sub max} for each lesion was measured to assess the impact of each μmap on PET quantification. All four μmaps in each patient provided robust results for reconstruction of the AC PET data. Overall, SUV{sub max} was quantified in 99 tumours and lesions. Compared to the reference four-compartment μmap, the mean SUV{sub max} of all 99 lesions increased by 1.4 ± 2.5% when bone was added, by 2.1 ± 3.5% when HUGE was added, and by 4.4 ± 5.7% when bone + HUGE was added. Larger quantification bias of up to 35% was found for single lesions when bone and truncation correction were added to the μmaps, depending on their individual location in the body. The novel AC method, featuring a bone model and truncation correction, improved PET quantification in whole-body PET/MR imaging. Short reconstruction times, straightforward

TOF-PET/MR和TOF-PET/CT在体部恶性肿瘤SUVmax值的比较%Comparision of SUVmax of TOF-PET/MR and TOF-PET/CT in body malignant tumor

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

宋天彬; 卢洁; 崔碧霄; 马杰; 杨宏伟; 马蕾; 梁志刚

2017-01-01

目的 探讨时间飞行(TOF)技术PET/CT和PET/MR检查体部恶性病变SUVmax值的一致性.方法 回顾性分析接受TOF-PET/CT和TOF-PET/MR检查的体部恶性肿瘤患者20例,分为先PET/CT后PET/MR组和先PET/MR后PET/CT组,每组10例.采用Bland-Altma图评价两次检查病灶SUVmax值的一致性,采用多因素方差分析评价扫描顺序和机器类型对病灶的SUVmax测量值的影响.结果 TOF-PET/CT与TOF-PET/MR检查病灶的SUVmax值有较好的一致性[先PET/CT后PET/MR组:均值差为3.06,95％CI(-7.5,13.6),先PET/MR后PET/CT组:均值差3.0,95％CI(-2.4,8.3)].扫描顺序对于恶性病灶的SUVmax有影响(F=46.00,P＜0.001),而机器类型对恶性病灶的SUVmax值无影响(F=0.005,P=0.95).结论 TOF-PET/MR和TOF-PET/CT在体部恶性病变SUVmax值测量方面具有相当的诊断价值,且延迟显像SUVmax的增加与采集时间有关,而与检查机器类型无关.%Objective To explore the consistency of time-of-flight (TOF) technology of PET/MRI and PET/CT for max standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of body malignant tumors.Methods A retrospective analysis of TOF-PET/CT and TOF-PET/MR imaging data about twenty patients with body malignant tumors was performed.Patients were divided into two groups (each n=10),including PET/CT first and sequentially PET/MR group and PET/MR first and sequentially PET/CT group.Bland-Altman figure was used to evaluate consistency of SUVmax of malignant lesions between TOF-PET/CT and TOF-PET/MR.Multi-way ANOVA was used to analysis effect of machine type and exam order on SUVmaxof malignant lesions in TOF-PET/CT and TOF-PET/MR.Results SUVmax of malignant lesions in TOF-PET/CT and TOF-PET/MR had good consistency in two groups (PET/CT first and sequentially PET/MR group:Mean difference was 3.06,95％CI was [-7.5,13.6];PET/MR first and sequentially PET/CT group:Mean difference was 3.0,95％CI was [-2.4,8.3]).SUVmax was not influenced by machine type (F=0.005,P=0.95),but exam order (F=46.00,P＜0

Preliminary assessment of the imaging capability of the YAP-(S)PET small animal scanner in neuroscience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartoli, Antonietta; Belcari, Nicola; Stark, Daniela; Hoehnemann, Sabine; Piel, Markus; Jennewein, Marc; Schmitt, Ulrich; Tillmanns, Julia; Thews, Oliver; Hiemke, Christoph; Roesch, Frank; Del Guerra, Alberto

2006-01-01

The new and fully engineered version of the YAP-(S)PET small animal scanner has been tested at the University of Mainz for preliminary assessment of its imaging capability for studies related to neuropharmacology and psychiatry. The main feature of the scanner is the capability to combine PET and SPECT techniques. It allows the development of new and interesting protocols for the investigation of many biological phenomena, more effectively than with PET or SPECT modalities alone. The scanner is made up of four detector heads, each one composed of a 4x4 cm 2 of YAlO 3 :Ce (or YAP:Ce) matrix, and has a field of view (FOV) of 4 cm axiallyx4 cm o transaxially. In PET mode, the volume resolution is less than 8 mm 3 and is nearly constant over the whole FOV, while the sensitivity is about 2%. The SPECT performance is not so good, due to the presence of the multi-hole lead collimator in front of each head. Nevertheless, the YAP-PET scanner offers excellent resolution and sensitivity for performing on the availability of D2-like dopamine receptors on mice and rats in both PET and SPECT modalities

PET/MRI for Oncologic Brain Imaging: A Comparison of Standard MR-Based Attenuation Corrections with a Model-Based Approach for the Siemens mMR PET/MR System.

Science.gov (United States)

Rausch, Ivo; Rischka, Lucas; Ladefoged, Claes N; Furtner, Julia; Fenchel, Matthias; Hahn, Andreas; Lanzenberger, Rupert; Mayerhoefer, Marius E; Traub-Weidinger, Tatjana; Beyer, Thomas

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to compare attenuation-correction (AC) approaches for PET/MRI in clinical neurooncology. Methods: Forty-nine PET/MRI brain scans were included: brain tumor studies using 18 F-fluoro-ethyl-tyrosine ( 18 F-FET) ( n = 31) and 68 Ga-DOTANOC ( n = 7) and studies of healthy subjects using 18 F-FDG ( n = 11). For each subject, MR-based AC maps (MR-AC) were acquired using the standard DIXON- and ultrashort echo time (UTE)-based approaches. A third MR-AC was calculated using a model-based, postprocessing approach to account for bone attenuation values (BD, noncommercial prototype software by Siemens Healthcare). As a reference, AC maps were derived from patient-specific CT images (CTref). PET data were reconstructed using standard settings after AC with all 4 AC methods. We report changes in diagnosis for all brain tumor patients and the following relative differences values (RDs [%]), with regards to AC-CTref: for 18 F-FET (A)-SUVs as well as volumes of interest (VOIs) defined by a 70% threshold of all segmented lesions and lesion-to-background ratios; for 68 Ga-DOTANOC (B)-SUVs as well as VOIs defined by a 50% threshold for all lesions and the pituitary gland; and for 18 F-FDG (C)-RD of SUVs of the whole brain and 10 anatomic regions segmented on MR images. Results: For brain tumor imaging (A and B), the standard PET-based diagnosis was not affected by any of the 3 MR-AC methods. For A, the average RDs of SUV mean were -10%, -4%, and -3% and of the VOIs 1%, 2%, and 7% for DIXON, UTE, and BD, respectively. Lesion-to-background ratios for all MR-AC methods were similar to that of CTref. For B, average RDs of SUV mean were -11%, -11%, and -3% and of the VOIs 1%, -4%, and -3%, respectively. In the case of 18 F-FDG PET/MRI (C), RDs for the whole brain were -11%, -8%, and -5% for DIXON, UTE, and BD, respectively. Conclusion: The diagnostic reading of PET/MR patients with brain tumors did not change with the chosen AC method. Quantitative accuracy of

PET/MR brain imaging: evaluation of clinical UTE-based attenuation correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aasheim, Lars Birger; Karlberg, Anna; Goa, Paal Erik; Haaberg, Asta; Soerhaug, Sveinung; Fagerli, Unn-Merete; Eikenes, Live

2015-01-01

One of the greatest challenges in PET/MR imaging is that of accurate MR-based attenuation correction (AC) of the acquired PET data, which must be solved if the PET/MR modality is to reach its full potential. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of Siemens' most recent version (VB20P) of MR-based AC of head PET data, by comparing it to CT-based AC. Methods: 18 F-FDG PET data from seven lymphoma and twelve lung cancer patients examined with a Biograph mMR PET/MR system were reconstructed with both CT-based and MR-based AC, avoiding sources of error arising when comparing PET data from different systems. The resulting images were compared quantitatively by measuring changes in mean SUV in ten different brain regions in both hemispheres, as well as the brainstem. In addition, the attenuation maps (μ maps) were compared regarding volume and localization of cranial bone. The UTE μ maps clearly overestimate the amount of bone in the neck, while slightly underestimating the amount of bone in the cranium, and the localization of bone in the cranial region also differ from the CT μ maps. In air/tissue interfaces in the sinuses and ears, the MRAC method struggles to correctly classify the different tissues. The misclassification of tissue is most likely caused by a combination of artefacts and the insufficiency of the UTE method to accurately separate bone. Quantitatively, this results in a combination of overestimation (0.5-3.6 %) and underestimation (2.7-5.2 %) of PET activity throughout the brain, depending on the proximity to the inaccurate regions. Our results indicate that the performance of the UTE method as implemented in VB20P is close to the theoretical maximum of such an MRAC method in the brain, while it does not perform satisfactorily in the neck or face/nasal area. Further improvement of the UTE MRAC or other available methods for more accurate segmentation of bone should be incorporated. (orig.)

Validation of novel calibration scheme with traceable point-like (22)Na sources on six types of PET scanners.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasegawa, Tomoyuki; Oda, Keiichi; Wada, Yasuhiro; Sasaki, Toshiaki; Sato, Yasushi; Yamada, Takahiro; Matsumoto, Mikio; Murayama, Hideo; Kikuchi, Kei; Miyatake, Hiroki; Abe, Yutaka; Miwa, Kenta; Akimoto, Kenta; Wagatsuma, Kei

2013-05-01

To improve the reliability and convenience of the calibration procedure of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, we have been developing a novel calibration path based on traceable point-like sources. When using (22)Na sources, special care should be taken to avoid the effects of 1.275-MeV γ rays accompanying β (+) decays. The purpose of this study is to validate this new calibration scheme with traceable point-like (22)Na sources on various types of PET scanners. Traceable point-like (22)Na sources with a spherical absorber design that assures uniform angular distribution of the emitted annihilation photons were used. The tested PET scanners included a clinical whole-body PET scanner, four types of clinical PET/CT scanners from different manufacturers, and a small-animal PET scanner. The region of interest (ROI) diameter dependence of ROI values was represented with a fitting function, which was assumed to consist of a recovery part due to spatial resolution and a quadratic background part originating from the scattered γ rays. The observed ROI radius dependence was well represented with the assumed fitting function (R (2) > 0.994). The calibration factors determined using the point-like sources were consistent with those by the standard cross-calibration method within an uncertainty of ±4 %, which was reasonable considering the uncertainty in the standard cross-calibration method. This novel calibration scheme based on the use of traceable (22)Na point-like sources was successfully validated for six types of commercial PET scanners.

Reproducibility of MR-based Attenuation Maps in PET/MRI and the Impact on PET Quantification in Lung Cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olin, Anders; Ladefoged, Claes N; Langer, Natasha H

2018-01-01

AIM: Quantitative positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) is dependent upon reliable and reproducible MR-based attenuation correction (MR-AC). In this study we evaluated the quality of current vendor-provided thoracic MR-AC maps, and further investigated...... affecting the reproducibility of PET/MRI. This, in combination with other well-known sources of error associated with PET/MRI examinations, leads to inconsistent SUV measurements in serial studies and follow-up scenarios, which may affect the reliability of therapy response assessment. A thorough visual...

MR imaging versus PET/CT for evaluation of pancreatic lesions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belião, Sara, E-mail: sara.beliao@clix.pt [Department of Radiology Hospital S. Francisco Xavier, Estrada do Forte do Alto do Duque, 1495-005 Lisbon (Portugal); Ferreira, Alexandra, E-mail: alexandratavaresferreira@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Hospital D. Estefânia, Rua Jacinta Marto, 1169-045 Lisbon (Portugal); Vierasu, Irina, E-mail: Ortansa-Irina.Vierasu@ulb.ac.be [Service de Médecine Nucléaire, Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Brussels (Belgium); Blocklet, Didier, E-mail: dblockle@ulb.ac.be [Service de Médecine Nucléaire, Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Brussels (Belgium); Goldman, Serge, E-mail: petscan@ulb.ac.be [Service de Médecine Nucléaire, Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Brussels (Belgium); Metens, Thierry, E-mail: tmetens@ulb.ac.be [Service de Radiologie – Imagerie par Resonance Magnétique, Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Brussels (Belgium); Matos, Celso, E-mail: cmatos@ulb.ac.be [Service de Radiologie – Imagerie par Resonance Magnétique, Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Brussels (Belgium)

2012-10-15

Purpose: To retrospectively determine the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and combined positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pancreatic lesions. Materials and methods: Twenty-seven patients (15 women/12 men, mean age 56.5 years) with MR imaging and PET/CT studies performed to differentiate benign and malignant pancreatic lesions were identified between October 2008 and October 2010. Both MR and PET/CT data sets were retrospectively and blindly evaluated by two independent readers (4 readers total) with different degrees of experience, using a visual five-point score system. The results were correlated with final diagnosis obtained by histopathology. Results: 17 patients had malignant diseases and 10 patients had benign diseases. Depending on the observer, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of MRI varied between 88–94%, 50–80%, 75–89% and 71–89% respectively. Sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values and negative predictive values of PET/CT were 73%, 56%, 73% and 56% respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of MR for the differential diagnosis of pancreatic lesions was 74–89%, compared with 67% for PET/CT. The weighted Cohen's kappa coefficient was 0.47 at MR and 0.53 at PET/CT. Conclusion: MRI achieved higher sensitivity and specificity in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic lesions.

Evaluation of the performance of the YAP-(S)PET scanner and its application in neuroscience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belcari, Nicola; Guerra, Alberto Del; Bartoli, Antonietta; Bianchi, Daniele; Lazzarotti, Marco; Sensi, Luca; Menichetti, Luca; Lecchi, Michela; Erba, Paola A.; Mariani, Giuliano; Corsini, Giovanni U.; Sgado, Paola

2007-01-01

This paper presents the performance evaluation of the small animal scanner YAP-(S)PET, both in PET and SPECT modalities following preliminary NEMA standards for small animal PET. Data are taken with a new version of the scanner that is installed at the IFC-CNR in Pisa (Italy) within the framework of the Center of Excellence AmbiSEN of the University of Pisa. This paper also reports some preliminary SPECT applications in neuroscience using 123 I-FP-CIT (DaTSCAN)

Authentically radiolabelled Mn(II) complexes as bimodal PET/MR tracers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vanasschen, Christian; Brandt, Marie; Ermert, Johannes [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-5 - Nuclear Chemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany); Neumaier, Bernd [Institute for Radiochemistry and Experimental Molecular Imaging, Medical Clinics, University of Cologne (Germany); Coenen, Heinz H [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-5 - Nuclear Chemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany)

2015-05-18

The development of small molecule bimodal PET/MR tracers is mainly hampered by the lack of dedicated preparation methods. Authentic radiolabelling of MR contrast agents ensures easy access to such probes: a ligand, chelating a paramagnetic metal ion (e.g. Mn2+) and the corresponding PET isotope (e.g. 52gMn), leads to a “cocktail mixture” where both imaging reporters exhibit the same pharmacokinetics. Paramagnetic [55Mn(CDTA)]2- shows an excellent compromise between thermodynamic stability, kinetic inertness and MR contrast enhancement. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop new PET/MR tracers by labelling CDTA ligands with paramagnetic manganese and the β+-emitter 52gMn. N.c.a. 52gMn (t1/2: 5.6 d; Eβ+: 575.8 keV (29.6%)) was produced by proton irradiation of a natCr target followed by cation-exchange chromatography. CDTA was radiolabelled with n.c.a. 52gMn2+ in NaOAc buffer (pH 6) at RT. The complex was purified by RP-HPLC and its stability tested in PBS and blood plasma at 37°C. The redox stability was assessed by monitoring the T1 relaxation (20 MHz) in HEPES buffer (pH 7.4). A functionalized CDTA ligand was synthesized in 5 steps. [52gMn(CDTA)]2- was quantitatively formed within 30 min at RT. The complex was stable for at least 6 days in PBS and blood plasma at 37°C and no oxidation occurred within 7 months storage at RT. Labelling CDTA with an isotopic 52g/55Mn2+ mixture led to the corresponding bimodal PET/MR tracer. Furthermore, a functionalized CDTA ligand was synthesized with an overall yield of 18-25%. [52g/55Mn(CDTA)]2-, the first manganese-based bimodal PET/MR tracer prepared, exhibits excellent stability towards decomplexation and oxidation. This makes the functionalized CDTA ligand highly suitable for designing PET/MR tracers with high relaxivity or targeting properties.

Authentically radiolabelled Mn(II) complexes as bimodal PET/MR tracers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vanasschen, Christian; Brandt, Marie; Ermert, Johannes; Neumaier, Bernd; Coenen, Heinz H

2015-01-01

The development of small molecule bimodal PET/MR tracers is mainly hampered by the lack of dedicated preparation methods. Authentic radiolabelling of MR contrast agents ensures easy access to such probes: a ligand, chelating a paramagnetic metal ion (e.g. Mn2+) and the corresponding PET isotope (e.g. 52gMn), leads to a “cocktail mixture” where both imaging reporters exhibit the same pharmacokinetics. Paramagnetic [55Mn(CDTA)]2- shows an excellent compromise between thermodynamic stability, kinetic inertness and MR contrast enhancement. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop new PET/MR tracers by labelling CDTA ligands with paramagnetic manganese and the β+-emitter 52gMn. N.c.a. 52gMn (t1/2: 5.6 d; Eβ+: 575.8 keV (29.6%)) was produced by proton irradiation of a natCr target followed by cation-exchange chromatography. CDTA was radiolabelled with n.c.a. 52gMn2+ in NaOAc buffer (pH 6) at RT. The complex was purified by RP-HPLC and its stability tested in PBS and blood plasma at 37°C. The redox stability was assessed by monitoring the T1 relaxation (20 MHz) in HEPES buffer (pH 7.4). A functionalized CDTA ligand was synthesized in 5 steps. [52gMn(CDTA)]2- was quantitatively formed within 30 min at RT. The complex was stable for at least 6 days in PBS and blood plasma at 37°C and no oxidation occurred within 7 months storage at RT. Labelling CDTA with an isotopic 52g/55Mn2+ mixture led to the corresponding bimodal PET/MR tracer. Furthermore, a functionalized CDTA ligand was synthesized with an overall yield of 18-25%. [52g/55Mn(CDTA)]2-, the first manganese-based bimodal PET/MR tracer prepared, exhibits excellent stability towards decomplexation and oxidation. This makes the functionalized CDTA ligand highly suitable for designing PET/MR tracers with high relaxivity or targeting properties.

Preliminary assessment of the imaging capability of the YAP-(S)PET small animal scanner in neuroscience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartoli, Antonietta [Department of Physics ' E. Fermi' and Center of Excellence ' AmbiSEN' , University of Pisa, and INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Pisa I- 56127 (Italy)]. E-mail: bartoli@df.unipi.it; Belcari, Nicola [Department of Physics ' E. Fermi' and Center of Excellence ' AmbiSEN' , University of Pisa, and INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Pisa I- 56127 (Italy); Stark, Daniela [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Hoehnemann, Sabine [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Piel, Markus [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Jennewein, Marc [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Schmitt, Ulrich [Department of Psychiatry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Tillmanns, Julia [Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Thews, Oliver [Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Hiemke, Christoph [Department of Psychiatry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Roesch, Frank [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Del Guerra, Alberto [Department of Physics ' E. Fermi' and Center of Excellence ' AmbiSEN' , University of Pisa, and INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Pisa I- 56127 (Italy)

2006-12-20

The new and fully engineered version of the YAP-(S)PET small animal scanner has been tested at the University of Mainz for preliminary assessment of its imaging capability for studies related to neuropharmacology and psychiatry. The main feature of the scanner is the capability to combine PET and SPECT techniques. It allows the development of new and interesting protocols for the investigation of many biological phenomena, more effectively than with PET or SPECT modalities alone. The scanner is made up of four detector heads, each one composed of a 4x4 cm{sup 2} of YAlO{sub 3}:Ce (or YAP:Ce) matrix, and has a field of view (FOV) of 4 cm axiallyx4 cm o transaxially. In PET mode, the volume resolution is less than 8 mm{sup 3} and is nearly constant over the whole FOV, while the sensitivity is about 2%. The SPECT performance is not so good, due to the presence of the multi-hole lead collimator in front of each head. Nevertheless, the YAP-PET scanner offers excellent resolution and sensitivity for performing on the availability of D2-like dopamine receptors on mice and rats in both PET and SPECT modalities.

MR constrained simultaneous reconstruction of activity and attenuation maps in brain TOF-PET/MR imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mehranian, Abolfazl; Zaidi, Habib [Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Geneva University Hospital, CH-1211 Geneva (Switzerland)

2014-07-29

The maximum likelihood estimation of attenuation and activity (MLAA) algorithm has been proposed to jointly estimate activity and attenuation from emission data only. Salomon et al employed the MLAA to estimate activity and attenuation from time-of-flight PET data with spatial MR prior information on attenuation. Recently, we proposed a novel algorithm to impose both spatial and statistical constraints on attenuation estimation within the MLAA algorithm using Dixon MR images and a constrained Gaussian mixture model (GMM). In this study, we compare the proposed algorithm with MLAA and MLAA-Salomon in brain TOF-PET/MR imaging.

MR constrained simultaneous reconstruction of activity and attenuation maps in brain TOF-PET/MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehranian, Abolfazl; Zaidi, Habib

2014-01-01

The maximum likelihood estimation of attenuation and activity (MLAA) algorithm has been proposed to jointly estimate activity and attenuation from emission data only. Salomon et al employed the MLAA to estimate activity and attenuation from time-of-flight PET data with spatial MR prior information on attenuation. Recently, we proposed a novel algorithm to impose both spatial and statistical constraints on attenuation estimation within the MLAA algorithm using Dixon MR images and a constrained Gaussian mixture model (GMM). In this study, we compare the proposed algorithm with MLAA and MLAA_Salomon in brain TOF-PET/MR imaging.

Development of a MPPC-based prototype gantry for future MRI-PET scanners

Science.gov (United States)

Kurei, Y.; Kataoka, J.; Kato, T.; Fujita, T.; Ohshima, T.; Taya, T.; Yamamoto, S.

2014-12-01

We have developed a high spatial resolution, compact Positron Emission Tomography (PET) module designed for small animals and intended for use in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. This module consists of large-area, 4 × 4 ch MPPC arrays (S11830-3344MF; Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.) optically coupled with Ce-doped (Lu,Y)2(SiO4)O (Ce:LYSO) scintillators fabricated into 16 × 16 matrices of 0.5 × 0.5 mm2 pixels. We set the temperature sensor (LM73CIMK-0; National Semiconductor Corp.) at the rear of the MPPC acceptance surface, and apply optimum voltage to maintain the gain. The eight MPPC-based PET modules and coincidence circuits were assembled into a gantry arranged in a ring 90 mm in diameter to form the MPPC-based PET system. We have developed two types PET gantry: one made of non-magnetic metal and the other made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resins. The PET gantry was positioned around the RF coil of the 4.7 T MRI system. We took an image of a point }22Na source under fast spin echo (FSE) and gradient echo (GE), in order to measure the interference between the MPPC-based PET and MRI. The spatial resolution of PET imaging in a transaxial plane of about 1 mm (FWHM) was achieved in all cases. Operating with PET made of ABS has no effect on MR images, while operating with PET made of non-magnetic metal has a significant detrimental effect on MR images. This paper describes our quantitative evaluations of PET images and MR images, and presents a more advanced version of the gantry for future MRI/DOI-PET systems.

Clinical Evaluation of PET Image Quality as a Function of Acquisition Time in a New TOF-PET/MRI Compared to TOF-PET/CT--Initial Results.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeimpekis, Konstantinos G; Barbosa, Felipe; Hüllner, Martin; ter Voert, Edwin; Davison, Helen; Veit-Haibach, Patrick; Delso, Gaspar

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study was to compare only the performance of the PET component between a TOF-PET/CT (henceforth noted as PET/CT) scanner and an integrated TOF-PET/MRI (henceforth noted as PET/MRI) scanner concerning image quality parameters and quantification in terms of standardized uptake value (SUV) as a function of acquisition time (a surrogate of dose). The CT and MR image quality were not assessed, and that is beyond the scope of this study. Five brain and five whole-body patients were included in the study. The PET/CT scan was used as a reference and the PET/MRI acquisition time was consecutively adjusted, taking into account the decay between the scans in order to expose both systems to the same amount of the emitted signal. The acquisition times were then retrospectively reduced to assess the performance of the PET/MRI for lower count rates. Image quality, image sharpness, artifacts, and noise were evaluated. SUV measurements were taken in the liver and in the white matter to compare quantification. Quantitative evaluation showed strong correlation between PET/CT and PET/MRI brain SUVs. Liver correlation was good, however, with lower uptake estimation in PET/MRI, partially justified by bio-redistribution. The clinical evaluation showed that PET/MRI offers higher image quality and sharpness with lower levels of noise and artifacts compared to PET/CT with reduced acquisition times for whole-body scans while for brain scans there is no significant difference. The TOF-PET/MRI showed higher image quality compared to TOF-PET/CT as tested with reduced imaging times. However, this result accounts mainly for body imaging, while no significant differences were found in brain imaging.

Assess PET/MR in diagnosis of disease in comparison with PET/CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Jianhua; Lim, Jason Chu-Chern; Loi, Hoi Yin; Totoman, John; Sinha, Arvind Kumar; Quek, Swee Titan; Townsend, David

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the performance of 18F-FDG whole body PET/MRI in comparison with PET/CT based on SUV. Anatomical location of lesion with Dixon MRI and additional value of advanced MRI technology such as diffusion weighted MR imaging in diagnosis of malignant disease will also be investigated.

Performance evaluation of a high resolution dedicated breast PET scanner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

García Hernández, Trinitat, E-mail: mtrinitat@eresa.com; Vicedo González, Aurora; Brualla González, Luis; Granero Cabañero, Domingo [Department of Medical Physics, ERESA, Hospital General Universitario, Valencia 46014 (Spain); Ferrer Rebolleda, Jose; Sánchez Jurado, Raúl; Puig Cozar Santiago, Maria del [Department of Nuclear Medicine, ERESA, Hospital General Universitario, Valencia 46014 (Spain); Roselló Ferrando, Joan [Department of Medical Physics, ERESA, Hospital General Universitario, Valencia 46014 (Spain); Department of Physiology, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010 (Spain)

2016-05-15

Purpose: Early stage breast cancers may not be visible on a whole-body PET scan. To overcome whole-body PET limitations, several dedicated breast positron emission tomography (DbPET) systems have emerged nowadays aiming to improve spatial resolution. In this work the authors evaluate the performance of a high resolution dedicated breast PET scanner (Mammi-PET, Oncovision). Methods: Global status, uniformity, sensitivity, energy, and spatial resolution were measured. Spheres of different sizes (2.5, 4, 5, and 6 mm diameter) and various 18 fluorodeoxyglucose ({sup 18}F-FDG) activity concentrations were randomly inserted in a gelatine breast phantom developed at our institution. Several lesion-to-background ratios (LBR) were simulated, 5:1, 10:1, 20:1, 30:1, and 50:1. Images were reconstructed using different voxel sizes. The ability of experienced reporters to detect spheres was tested as a function of acquisition time, LBR, sphere size, and matrix reconstruction voxel size. For comparison, phantoms were scanned in the DbPET camera and in a whole body PET (WB-PET). Two patients who just underwent WB-PET/CT exams were imaged with the DbPET system and the images were compared. Results: The measured absolute peak sensitivity was 2.0%. The energy resolution was 24.0% ± 1%. The integral and differential uniformity were 10% and 6% in the total field of view (FOV) and 9% and 5% in the central FOV, respectively. The measured spatial resolution was 2.0, 1.9, and 1.7 mm in the radial, tangential, and axial directions. The system exhibited very good detectability for spheres ≥4 mm and LBR ≥10 with a sphere detection of 100% when acquisition time was set >3 min/bed. For LBR = 5 and acquisition time of 7 min the detectability was 100% for spheres of 6 mm and 75% for spheres of 5, 4, and 2.5 mm. Lesion WB-PET detectability was only comparable to the DbPET camera for lesion sizes ≥5 mm when acquisition time was >3 min and LBR > 10. Conclusions: The DbPET has a good

Performance evaluation of a high resolution dedicated breast PET scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

García Hernández, Trinitat; Vicedo González, Aurora; Brualla González, Luis; Granero Cabañero, Domingo; Ferrer Rebolleda, Jose; Sánchez Jurado, Raúl; Puig Cozar Santiago, Maria del; Roselló Ferrando, Joan

2016-01-01

Purpose: Early stage breast cancers may not be visible on a whole-body PET scan. To overcome whole-body PET limitations, several dedicated breast positron emission tomography (DbPET) systems have emerged nowadays aiming to improve spatial resolution. In this work the authors evaluate the performance of a high resolution dedicated breast PET scanner (Mammi-PET, Oncovision). Methods: Global status, uniformity, sensitivity, energy, and spatial resolution were measured. Spheres of different sizes (2.5, 4, 5, and 6 mm diameter) and various 18 fluorodeoxyglucose ("1"8F-FDG) activity concentrations were randomly inserted in a gelatine breast phantom developed at our institution. Several lesion-to-background ratios (LBR) were simulated, 5:1, 10:1, 20:1, 30:1, and 50:1. Images were reconstructed using different voxel sizes. The ability of experienced reporters to detect spheres was tested as a function of acquisition time, LBR, sphere size, and matrix reconstruction voxel size. For comparison, phantoms were scanned in the DbPET camera and in a whole body PET (WB-PET). Two patients who just underwent WB-PET/CT exams were imaged with the DbPET system and the images were compared. Results: The measured absolute peak sensitivity was 2.0%. The energy resolution was 24.0% ± 1%. The integral and differential uniformity were 10% and 6% in the total field of view (FOV) and 9% and 5% in the central FOV, respectively. The measured spatial resolution was 2.0, 1.9, and 1.7 mm in the radial, tangential, and axial directions. The system exhibited very good detectability for spheres ≥4 mm and LBR ≥10 with a sphere detection of 100% when acquisition time was set >3 min/bed. For LBR = 5 and acquisition time of 7 min the detectability was 100% for spheres of 6 mm and 75% for spheres of 5, 4, and 2.5 mm. Lesion WB-PET detectability was only comparable to the DbPET camera for lesion sizes ≥5 mm when acquisition time was >3 min and LBR > 10. Conclusions: The DbPET has a good performance

A fully automated and scalable timing probe-based method for time alignment of the LabPET II scanners

Science.gov (United States)

Samson, Arnaud; Thibaudeau, Christian; Bouchard, Jonathan; Gaudin, Émilie; Paulin, Caroline; Lecomte, Roger; Fontaine, Réjean

2018-05-01

A fully automated time alignment method based on a positron timing probe was developed to correct the channel-to-channel coincidence time dispersion of the LabPET II avalanche photodiode-based positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. The timing probe was designed to directly detect positrons and generate an absolute time reference. The probe-to-channel coincidences are recorded and processed using firmware embedded in the scanner hardware to compute the time differences between detector channels. The time corrections are then applied in real-time to each event in every channel during PET data acquisition to align all coincidence time spectra, thus enhancing the scanner time resolution. When applied to the mouse version of the LabPET II scanner, the calibration of 6 144 channels was performed in less than 15 min and showed a 47% improvement on the overall time resolution of the scanner, decreasing from 7 ns to 3.7 ns full width at half maximum (FWHM).

Magnetic resonance imaging-guided attenuation correction of positron emission tomography data in PET/MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Catana, Ciprian

2018-01-01

Synopsis Attenuation correction (AC) is one of the most important challenges in the recently introduced combined positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MR) scanners. PET/MR AC (MR-AC) approaches aim to develop methods that allow accurate estimation of the linear attenuation coefficients (LACs) of the tissues and other components located in the PET field of view (FoV). MR-AC methods can be divided into three main categories: segmentation-, atlas- and PET-based. This review aims to provide a comprehensive list of the state of the art MR-AC approaches as well as their pros and cons. The main sources of artifacts such as body-truncation, metallic implants and hardware correction will be presented. Finally, this review will discuss the current status of MR-AC approaches for clinical applications. PMID:26952727

Whole-body FDG PET-MR oncologic imaging: pitfalls in clinical interpretation related to inaccurate MR-based attenuation correction.

Science.gov (United States)

Attenberger, Ulrike; Catana, Ciprian; Chandarana, Hersh; Catalano, Onofrio A; Friedman, Kent; Schonberg, Stefan A; Thrall, James; Salvatore, Marco; Rosen, Bruce R; Guimaraes, Alexander R

2015-08-01

Simultaneous data collection for positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MR) is now a reality. While the full benefits of concurrently acquiring PET and MR data and the potential added clinical value are still being evaluated, initial studies have identified several important potential pitfalls in the interpretation of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/MRI in oncologic whole-body imaging, the majority of which being related to the errors in the attenuation maps created from the MR data. The purpose of this article was to present such pitfalls and artifacts using case examples, describe their etiology, and discuss strategies to overcome them. Using a case-based approach, we will illustrate artifacts related to (1) Inaccurate bone tissue segmentation; (2) Inaccurate air cavities segmentation; (3) Motion-induced misregistration; (4) RF coils in the PET field of view; (5) B0 field inhomogeneity; (6) B1 field inhomogeneity; (7) Metallic implants; (8) MR contrast agents.

Blind source separation analysis of PET dynamic data: a simple method with exciting MR-PET applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oros-Peusquens, Ana-Maria; Silva, Nuno da [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Weiss, Carolin [Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne (Germany); Stoffels, Gabrielle; Herzog, Hans; Langen, Karl J [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Shah, N Jon [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) - Section JARA-Brain RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen (Germany)

2014-07-29

Denoising of dynamic PET data improves parameter imaging by PET and is gaining momentum. This contribution describes an analysis of dynamic PET data by blind source separation methods and comparison of the results with MR-based brain properties.

Feasibility study of a highly sensitive LaBr{sub 3} PET scanner based on the DOI-dependent extended-energy window

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, Eiji [Naitonal Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan)], E-mail: rush@nirs.go.jp; Kitamura, Keishi [Shimadzu Corporation, Kyoto (Japan); Nishikido, Fumihiko; Shibuya, Kengo [Naitonal Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Hasegawa, Tomoyuki [Kitasato University, Kanagawa (Japan); Yamaya, Taiga; Inadama, Naoko; Murayama, Hideo [Naitonal Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan)

2009-06-01

Conventionally, positron emission tomograph (PET) scanners use scintillators which have a high effective atomic number. Recently, novel scintillators like LaBr{sub 3} have been developed which have excellent timing and energy resolutions. LaBr{sub 3} has a high performance for PET scanner use, but its effective atomic number is lower than that of lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO). As an alternative, we have developed a scatter reduction method using depth-of-interaction (DOI) information and energy information to increase the sensitivity. The sensitivity of the PET scanner with LaBr{sub 3} can be improved using the DOI-dependent extended-energy window (DEEW) method. In this work, our method is applied to the whole-body LSO/LaBr{sub 3} PET scanner using the GATE simulation toolkit. Simulation results show the number of true coincidences can be increased while minimizing the scatter and random coincidences by using the DEEW method. Noise equivalent count rate (NECR) can be improved by 20-70% for the whole-body DOI-PET scanner. Sensitivity of the PET scanner with a scintillator of low-effective atomic number can be improved by the DEEW method.

Simultaneous functional imaging using fPET and fMRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Villien, Marjorie [CERMEP (France)

2015-05-18

Brain mapping of task-associated changes in metabolism with PET has been accomplished by subtracting scans acquired during two distinct static states. We have demonstrated that PET can provide truly dynamic information on cerebral energy metabolism using constant infusion of FDG and multiple stimuli in a single experiment. We demonstrate here that the functional PET (fPET-FDG) method accomplished simultaneously with fMRI, can enable the first direct comparisons in time, space and magnitude of hemodynamics and oxygen and glucose consumption. The imaging studies were performed on a 3T Tim-Trio MR scanner modified to support an MR-compatible BrainPET insert. Ten healthy subjects were included. The total PET acquisition and infusion time was 90 minutes. We did 3 blocks of right hand fingers tapping for 10 minutes at 30, 50 and 70 minutes after the beginning of the PET acquisition. ASL and BOLD imaging were acquired simultaneously during the motor paradigm. Changes in glucose utilization are easily observed as changes in the TAC slope of the PET data (FDG utilization rate) and in the derivative signal during motor stimuli in the activated voxels. PET and MRI (ASL, and BOLD) activations are largely colocalized but with very different statistical significance and temporal dynamic, especially in the ipsilateral side of the stimuli. This study demonstrated that motor activation can be measured dynamically during a single FDG PET scan. The complementary nature of fPET-FDG to fMRI capitalizes on the emerging technology of hybrid MR-PET scanners. fPET-FDG, combined with quantitative fMRI methods, allow us to simultaneously measure dynamic changes in glucose utilization and hemodynamic, addressing vital questions about neurovascular coupling.

Simultaneous functional imaging using fPET and fMRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villien, Marjorie

2015-01-01

Brain mapping of task-associated changes in metabolism with PET has been accomplished by subtracting scans acquired during two distinct static states. We have demonstrated that PET can provide truly dynamic information on cerebral energy metabolism using constant infusion of FDG and multiple stimuli in a single experiment. We demonstrate here that the functional PET (fPET-FDG) method accomplished simultaneously with fMRI, can enable the first direct comparisons in time, space and magnitude of hemodynamics and oxygen and glucose consumption. The imaging studies were performed on a 3T Tim-Trio MR scanner modified to support an MR-compatible BrainPET insert. Ten healthy subjects were included. The total PET acquisition and infusion time was 90 minutes. We did 3 blocks of right hand fingers tapping for 10 minutes at 30, 50 and 70 minutes after the beginning of the PET acquisition. ASL and BOLD imaging were acquired simultaneously during the motor paradigm. Changes in glucose utilization are easily observed as changes in the TAC slope of the PET data (FDG utilization rate) and in the derivative signal during motor stimuli in the activated voxels. PET and MRI (ASL, and BOLD) activations are largely colocalized but with very different statistical significance and temporal dynamic, especially in the ipsilateral side of the stimuli. This study demonstrated that motor activation can be measured dynamically during a single FDG PET scan. The complementary nature of fPET-FDG to fMRI capitalizes on the emerging technology of hybrid MR-PET scanners. fPET-FDG, combined with quantitative fMRI methods, allow us to simultaneously measure dynamic changes in glucose utilization and hemodynamic, addressing vital questions about neurovascular coupling.

Initial evaluation of a practical PET respiratory motion correction method in clinical simultaneous PET/MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manber, Richard; Thielemans, Kris; Hutton, Brian; Barnes, Anna; Ourselin, Sebastien; Arridge, Simon; O’Meara, Celia; Atkinson, David

2014-01-01

Respiratory motion during PET acquisitions can cause image artefacts, with sharpness and tracer quantification adversely affected due to count ‘smearing’. Motion correction by registration of PET gates becomes increasingly difficult with shorter scan times and less counts. The advent of simultaneous PET/MRI scanners allows the use of high spatial resolution MRI to capture motion states during respiration [1, 2]. In this work, we use a respiratory signal derived from the PET list-mode data [3, ], with no requirement for an external device or MR sequence modifications.

PET/MR synchronization by detection of switching gradients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weissler, Bjoern; Gebhardt, Pierre; Lerche, Christoph W; Soultanidis, Georgios; Wehner, Jakob; Heberling, Dirk; Schulz, Volkmar

2014-01-01

The full potential of simultaneous PET and MRI image acquisition, such as dynamic studies or motion compensation, can only be explored if the data of both modalities are temporally synchronized. These hybrid imaging systems are often realized as custom made PET inserts for commercially available MRI scanner. Unfortunately, the standard MRIs do not always offer easily programmable synchronization outputs, nor can they be modified.

PET/MR imaging of the pelvis in the presence of endoprostheses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ladefoged, Claes Nøhr; Andersen, Flemming Littrup; Keller, Sune Høgild

2013-01-01

In combined whole-body PET/MR, attenuation correction (AC) is performed indirectly using the available MR image information and subsequent segmentation. Implant-induced susceptibility artifacts and subsequent signal voids may challenge MR-based AC (MR-AC). We evaluated the accuracy of MR-AC in PE...

Monte Carlo modeling of a clinical PET scanner by using the GATE dedicated computer code; Modelagem Monte Carlo de um PET Scanner clinico utilizando o codigo dedicado GATE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vieira, Igor Fagner; Lima, Fernando Roberto de Andrade, E-mail: falima@cnen.gov.b [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (DEN/UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Dept. de Energia Nuclear; Universidade de Pernambuco (UPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Escola Politecnica; Vieira, Jose Wilson [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (DEN/UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Dept. de Energia Nuclear; Centro Regional de Ciencias Nucleares do Nordeste (CRCN-NE/CNEN-PE), Recife, PE (Brazil)

2011-10-26

This paper demonstrates more possible detailed the GATE simulated architecture involved in the 4D modeling of a General Electric PET scanner, the Advance. So, it were used data present in the literature on the configuration of GE modelled PET. The obtained results which were the 3D components of PET creation, and the simulation of 4D phenomena as the source decay and the gantry whirl, exhibit the potential of tool in emission tomograph modelling

Whole-body PET/MRI: The effect of bone attenuation during MR-based attenuation correction in oncology imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aznar, M.C.; Sersar, Rachida; Saabye, J.

2014-01-01

patients referred for a PET/CT were injected with either [18F]-FDG or [18F]-NaF and imaged on PET/CT (Biograph TruePoint/mCT, Siemens) and PET/MRI (mMR, Siemens) following a standard single-injection, dual-imaging clinical WB-protocol. Routine MR-AC was based on in-/opposed-phase MR imaging (orgMR-AC). PET...... and then investigate different strategies to account for bone tissue in clinical PET/MR imaging. To this purpose, bone tissue representation was extracted from separate CT images, and different bone representations were simulated from hypothetically derived MR-based bone classifications. Methods: Twenty oncology.......3%) and lowest for spongCT (–2.2%, range: 0.0% to –13.7%). Conclusions: In PET/MR imaging using standard MR-AC PET uptake values in soft lesions and bone lesions are underestimated by about 10%. In individual patients this bias can be as high as 22%, which is significant during clinical follow-up exams. If bone...

PET/MRI for Preoperative Planning in Patients with Soft Tissue Sarcoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Loft Jakobsen, Annika; Jensen, Karl Erik; L�fgren, Johan

2013-01-01

Clinical positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition protocols may improve the evaluation of soft tissue sarcomas (STS) prior to surgical planning. We examined two patients with lower extremity STS using a Siemens Biograph mMR PET/MRI scanner and the glucose...

Simultaneous determination of dynamic cardiac metabolism and function using PET/MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Barton, Gregory P; Vildberg, Lauren; Goss, Kara; Aggarwal, Niti; Eldridge, Marlowe; McMillan, Alan B

2018-05-01

Cardiac metabolic changes in heart disease precede overt contractile dysfunction. However, metabolism and function are not typically assessed together in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to develop a cardiac positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) stress test to assess the dynamic relationship between contractile function and metabolism in a preclinical model. Following an overnight fast, healthy pigs (45-50 kg) were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18 F-FDG) solution was administered intravenously at a constant rate of 0.01 mL/s for 60 minutes. A cardiac PET/MR stress test was performed using normoxic gas (F I O 2  = .209) and hypoxic gas (F I O 2  = .12). Simultaneous cardiac imaging was performed on an integrated 3T PET/MR scanner. Hypoxic stress induced a significant increase in heart rate, cardiac output, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), and peak torsion. There was a significant decline in arterial SpO 2 , LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes in hypoxia. Increased LV systolic function was coupled with an increase in myocardial FDG uptake (Ki) during hypoxic stress. PET/MR with continuous FDG infusion captures dynamic changes in both cardiac metabolism and contractile function. This technique warrants evaluation in human cardiac disease for assessment of subtle functional and metabolic abnormalities.

Development of a Single Detector Ring Micro Crystal Element Scanner: QuickPET II

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert S. Miyaoka

2005-04-01

Full Text Available This article describes a single ring version of the micro crystal element scanner (MiCES and investigation of its spatial resolution imaging characteristics for mouse positron emission tomography (PET imaging. This single ring version of the MiCES system, referred to as QuickPET II, consists of 18 MiCE detector modules mounted as a single ring in a vertical gantry. The system has a 5.76-cm transverse field of view and a 1.98-cm axial field of view. In addition to the scanner and data acquisition system, we have developed an iterative reconstruction that includes a model of the system's detector response function. Evaluation images of line sources and mice have been acquired. Using filtered backprojection, the resolution for a reconstructed line source has been measured at 1.2 mm full width at half maximum. F-18-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose mouse PET images are provided. The result shows that QuickPET II has the imaging characteristics to support high-resolution, static mouse PET studies using 18-F labeled compounds.

Qualification test of a MPPC-based PET module for future MRI-PET scanners

Science.gov (United States)

Kurei, Y.; Kataoka, J.; Kato, T.; Fujita, T.; Funamoto, H.; Tsujikawa, T.; Yamamoto, S.

2014-11-01

We have developed a high-resolution, compact Positron Emission Tomography (PET) module for future use in MRI-PET scanners. The module consists of large-area, 4×4 ch MPPC arrays (Hamamatsu S11827-3344MG) optically coupled with Ce:LYSO scintillators fabricated into 12×12 matrices of 1×1 mm2 pixels. At this stage, a pair of module and coincidence circuits was assembled into an experimental prototype gantry arranged in a ring of 90 mm in diameter to form the MPPC-based PET system. The PET detector ring was then positioned around the RF coil of the 4.7 T MRI system. We took an image of a point 22Na source under fast spin echo (FSE) and gradient echo (GE), in order to measure interference between the MPPC-based PET and the MRI. We only found a slight degradation in the spatial resolution of the PET image from 1.63 to 1.70 mm (FWHM; x-direction), or 1.48-1.55 mm (FWHM; y-direction) when operating with the MRI, while the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the MRI image was only degraded by 5%. These results encouraged us to develop a more advanced version of the MRI-PET gantry with eight MPPC-based PET modules, whose detailed design and first qualification test are also presented in this paper.

Classification of bones from MR images in torso PET-MR imaging using a statistical shape model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reza Ay, Mohammad; Akbarzadeh, Afshin; Ahmadian, Alireza; Zaidi, Habib

2014-01-01

There have been exclusive features for hybrid PET/MRI systems in comparison with its PET/CT counterpart in terms of reduction of radiation exposure, improved soft-tissue contrast and truly simultaneous and multi-parametric imaging capabilities. However, quantitative imaging on PET/MR is challenged by attenuation of annihilation photons through their pathway. The correction for photon attenuation requires the availability of patient-specific attenuation map, which accounts for the spatial distribution of attenuation coefficients of biological tissues. However, the lack of information on electron density in the MR signal poses an inherent difficulty to the derivation of the attenuation map from MR images. In other words, the MR signal correlates with proton densities and tissue relaxation properties, rather than with electron density and, as such, it is not directly related to attenuation coefficients. In order to derive the attenuation map from MR images at 511 keV, various strategies have been proposed and implemented on prototype and commercial PET/MR systems. Segmentation-based methods generate an attenuation map by classification of T1-weighted or high resolution Dixon MR sequences followed by assignment of predefined attenuation coefficients to various tissue types. Intensity-based segmentation approaches fail to include bones in the attenuation map since the segmentation of bones from conventional MR sequences is a difficult task. Most MR-guided attenuation correction techniques ignore bones owing to the inherent difficulties associated with bone segmentation unless specialized MR sequences such as ultra-short echo (UTE) sequence are utilized. In this work, we introduce a new technique based on statistical shape modeling to segment bones and generate a four-class attenuation map. Our segmentation approach requires a torso bone shape model based on principle component analysis (PCA). A CT-based training set including clearly segmented bones of the torso region

The first PET scanner made in China and its clinical application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Guohong; Chen Weichang; Yan Jue; Ma Bucheng; Li Weiping

1996-01-01

The structure and technical indices of PET scanner (PET-B01) are described. It is applied to do the clinical research work by using the positron 68 Ga-citrate and 68 Ga-BAT-TECH in 34 human bodies. All of them have not any symptoms or signs of chemical toxicity and radioactive hazard. 68 Ga-Citrate PET images can be applied to make differential diagnosis on hepatoma or lung cancer; among 28 cases, the coincidence rate is 0.927. It is confirmed that the malignant tumor is encapsulated or divergent

SU-D-201-05: Phantom Study to Determine Optimal PET Reconstruction Parameters for PET/MR Imaging of Y-90 Microspheres Following Radioembolization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maughan, N [Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO (United States); Conti, M [Siemens Healthcare Molecular Imaging, Knoxville, TN (United States); Parikh, P [Washington Univ. School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO (United States); Faul, D [Siemens Healthcare, New York, NY (United States); Laforest, R [Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: Imaging Y-90 microspheres with PET/MRI following hepatic radioembolization has the potential for predicting treatment outcome and, in turn, improving patient care. The positron decay branching ratio, however, is very small (32 ppm), yielding images with poor statistics even when therapy doses are used. Our purpose is to find PET reconstruction parameters that maximize the PET recovery coefficients and minimize noise. Methods: An initial 7.5 GBq of Y-90 chloride solution was used to fill an ACR phantom for measurements with a PET/MRI scanner (Siemens Biograph mMR). Four hot cylinders and a warm background activity volume of the phantom were filled with a 10:1 ratio. Phantom attenuation maps were derived from scaled CT images of the phantom and included the MR phased array coil. The phantom was imaged at six time points between 7.5–1.0 GBq total activity over a period of eight days. PET images were reconstructed via OP-OSEM with 21 subsets and varying iteration number (1–5), post-reconstruction filter size (5–10 mm), and either absolute or relative scatter correction. Recovery coefficients, SNR, and noise were measured as well as total activity in the phantom. Results: For the 120 different reconstructions, recovery coefficients ranged from 0.1–0.6 and improved with increasing iteration number and reduced post-reconstruction filter size. SNR, however, improved substantially with lower iteration numbers and larger post-reconstruction filters. From the phantom data, we found that performing 2 iterations, 21 subsets, and applying a 5 mm Gaussian post-reconstruction filter provided optimal recovery coefficients at a moderate noise level for a wide range of activity levels. Conclusion: The choice of reconstruction parameters for Y-90 PET images greatly influences both the accuracy of measurements and image quality. We have found reconstruction parameters that provide optimal recovery coefficients with minimized noise. Future work will include the effects

Potential Applications of PET/MR Imaging in Cardiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ratib, Osman; Nkoulou, René

2014-06-01

Recent advances in hybrid PET/MR imaging have opened new perspectives for cardiovascular applications. Although cardiac MR imaging has gained wider adoption for routine clinical applications, PET images remain the reference in many applications for which objective analysis of metabolic and physiologic parameters is needed. In particular, in cardiovascular diseases-more specifically, coronary artery disease-the use of quantitative and measurable parameters in a reproducible way is essential for the management of therapeutic decisions and patient follow-up. Functional MR images and dynamic assessment of myocardial perfusion from transit of intravascular contrast medium can provide useful criteria for identifying areas of decreased myocardial perfusion or for assessing tissue viability from late contrast enhancement of scar tissue. PET images, however, will provide more quantitative data on true tissue perfusion and metabolism. Quantitative myocardial flow can also lead to accurate assessment of coronary flow reserve. The combination of both modalities will therefore provide complementary data that can be expected to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of diagnostic procedures. But the true potential of hybrid PET/MR imaging may reside in applications beyond the domain of coronary artery disease. The combination of both modalities in assessment of other cardiac diseases such as inflammation and of other systemic diseases can also be envisioned. It is also predicted that the 2 modalities combined could help characterize atherosclerotic plaques and differentiate plaques with a high risk of rupture from stable plaques. In the future, the development of new tracers will also open new perspectives in evaluating myocardial remodeling and in assessing the kinetics of stem cell therapy in myocardial infarction. New tracers will also provide new means for evaluating alterations in cardiac innervation, angiogenesis, and even the assessment of reporter gene technologies

Automatic extraction of forward stroke volume using dynamic PET/CT: a dual-tracer and dual-scanner validation in patients with heart valve disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Harms, Hendrik Johannes; Tolbod, Lars Poulsen; Hansson, Nils Henrik Stubkjær; Kero, Tanja; Orndahl, Lovisa Holm; Kim, Won Yong; Bjerner, Tomas; Bouchelouche, Kirsten; Wiggers, Henrik; Frøkiær, Jørgen; Sörensen, Jens

2015-12-01

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an automated method for extracting forward stroke volume (FSV) using indicator dilution theory directly from dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) studies for two different tracers and scanners. 35 subjects underwent a dynamic (11)C-acetate PET scan on a Siemens Biograph TruePoint-64 PET/CT (scanner I). In addition, 10 subjects underwent both dynamic (15)O-water PET and (11)C-acetate PET scans on a GE Discovery-ST PET/CT (scanner II). The left ventricular (LV)-aortic time-activity curve (TAC) was extracted automatically from PET data using cluster analysis. The first-pass peak was isolated by automatic extrapolation of the downslope of the TAC. FSV was calculated as the injected dose divided by the product of heart rate and the area under the curve of the first-pass peak. Gold standard FSV was measured using phase-contrast cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). FSVPET correlated highly with FSVCMR (r = 0.87, slope = 0.90 for scanner I, r = 0.87, slope = 1.65, and r = 0.85, slope = 1.69 for scanner II for (15)O-water and (11)C-acetate, respectively) although a systematic bias was observed for both scanners (p dynamic PET/CT and cluster analysis. Results are almost identical for (11)C-acetate and (15)O-water. A scanner-dependent bias was observed, and a scanner calibration factor is required for multi-scanner studies. Generalization of the method to other tracers and scanners requires further validation.

Processing optimization with parallel computing for the J-PET scanner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krzemień Wojciech

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomograph (J-PET collaboration is developing a prototype time of flight (TOF-positron emission tomograph (PET detector based on long polymer scintillators. This novel approach exploits the excellent time properties of the plastic scintillators, which permit very precise time measurements. The very fast field programmable gate array (FPGA-based front-end electronics and the data acquisition system, as well as low- and high-level reconstruction algorithms were specially developed to be used with the J-PET scanner. The TOF-PET data processing and reconstruction are time and resource demanding operations, especially in the case of a large acceptance detector that works in triggerless data acquisition mode. In this article, we discuss the parallel computing methods applied to optimize the data processing for the J-PET detector. We begin with general concepts of parallel computing and then we discuss several applications of those techniques in the J-PET data processing.

Functional imaging in the Neuroscience. The role of PET, MR and SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fulham, M.J.

1998-01-01

Full text: Functional imaging is commonly used to describe imaging techniques that provide data about aspects of tissue metabolism, such as glucose / protein metabolism, metabolite concentrations, neuro receptor density and blood flow / perfusion / diffusion when compared with the depiction of anatomy obtained with Computed Tomography (CT) and clinical Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging. In the neuroscience this is a rapidly evolving area and unlike in the past where imaging of the nervous system was carried out by neuroradiologists participants in this dynamic field now come from diverse backgrounds and include basic scientists, clinicians, psychologists, physicists and chemists. PET and SPECT combine the principles of the tracer kinetic method and tomographic (as in CT) image reconstruction. A mathematical model can be derived to describe the biochemical process (in picomolar concentrations) under study and the raw counts of radioactivity that are detected by the scanner can be converted into units of physiological function in-vivo e.g. cerebral metabolic rate for glucose and receptor density. These techniques, using a variety of ligands, have been employed for evaluation of cerebral blood flow / volume, oxygen utilization / metabolism, glucose metabolism, amino acid transport / metabolism, protein synthesis, the dopaminergic, opiate, benzodiazepine, cholinergic and serotonergic systems and for brain mapping in humans. Meanwhile, the term 'functional MR imaging' encompasses MR spectroscopy, echoplanar imaging, diffusion tensor imaging and techniques that rely on the change in blood oxygenation levels to provide an indirect image of neuronal activity (referred to as fMRI). Unlike PET and SPECT, however, these data are obtained without using ionising radiation. In MRS, signals are obtained from nuclei (in mM concentrations) that are constituents of molecules other than water that provide the signal in clinical MR imaging; fibre tract directions have been depicted with

Performance and limitations of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners for imaging very low activity sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Freedenberg, Melissa I; Badawi, Ramsey D; Tarantal, Alice F; Cherry, Simon R

2014-02-01

Emerging applications for positron emission tomography (PET) may require the ability to image very low activity source distributions in the body. The performance of clinical PET scanners in the regime where activity in the field of view is source in the NEMA scatter phantom), the BGO-based scanner significantly outperformed the LSO-based scanner. This was largely due to the effect of background counts emanating from naturally occurring but radioactive (176)Lu within the LSO detector material, which dominates the observed counting rate at the lowest activities. Increasing the lower energy threshold from 350 keV to 425 keV in an attempt to reduce this background did not significantly improve the measured NECR performance. The measured singles rate due to (176)Lu emissions within the scanner energy window was also found to be dependent on temperature, and to be affected by the operation of the CT component, making approaches to correct or compensate for the background more challenging. We conclude that for PET studies in a very low activity range, BGO-based scanners are likely to have better performance because of the lack of significant background. Copyright © 2013 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The simulation of a data acquisition system for a proposed high resolution PET scanner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rotolo, C.; Larwill, M.; Chappa, S. [Fermi National Accelerator Lab., Batavia, IL (United States); Ordonez, C. [Chicago Univ., IL (United States)

1993-10-01

The simulation of a specific data acquisition (DAQ) system architecture for a proposed high resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner is discussed. Stochastic processes are used extensively to model PET scanner signal timing and probable DAQ circuit limitations. Certain architectural parameters, along with stochastic parameters, are varied to quantatively study the resulting output under various conditions. The inclusion of the DAQ in the model represents a novel method of more complete simulations of tomograph designs, and could prove to be of pivotal importance in the optimization of such designs.

The simulation of a data acquisition system for a proposed high resolution PET scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotolo, C.; Larwill, M.; Chappa, S.; Ordonez, C.

1993-10-01

The simulation of a specific data acquisition (DAQ) system architecture for a proposed high resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner is discussed. Stochastic processes are used extensively to model PET scanner signal timing and probable DAQ circuit limitations. Certain architectural parameters, along with stochastic parameters, are varied to quantatively study the resulting output under various conditions. The inclusion of the DAQ in the model represents a novel method of more complete simulations of tomograph designs, and could prove to be of pivotal importance in the optimization of such designs

An experimental phantom study of the effect of gadolinium-based MR contrast agents on PET attenuation coefficients and PET quantification in PET-MR imaging: application to cardiac studies.

Science.gov (United States)

O' Doherty, Jim; Schleyer, Paul

2017-12-01

Simultaneous cardiac perfusion studies are an increasing trend in PET-MR imaging. During dynamic PET imaging, the introduction of gadolinium-based MR contrast agents (GBCA) at high concentrations during a dual injection of GBCA and PET radiotracer may cause increased attenuation effects of the PET signal, and thus errors in quantification of PET images. We thus aimed to calculate the change in linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) of a mixture of PET radiotracer and increasing concentrations of GBCA in solution and furthermore, to investigate if this change in LAC produced a measurable effect on the image-based PET activity concentration when attenuation corrected by three different AC strategies. We performed simultaneous PET-MR imaging of a phantom in a static scenario using a fixed activity of 40 MBq [18 F]-NaF, water, and an increasing GBCA concentration from 0 to 66 mM (based on an assumed maximum possible concentration of GBCA in the left ventricle in a clinical study). This simulated a range of clinical concentrations of GBCA. We investigated two methods to calculate the LAC of the solution mixture at 511 keV: (1) a mathematical mixture rule and (2) CT imaging of each concentration step and subsequent conversion to LAC at 511 keV. This comparison showed that the ranges of LAC produced by both methods are equivalent with an increase in LAC of the mixed solution of approximately 2% over the range of 0-66 mM. We then employed three different attenuation correction methods to the PET data: (1) each PET scan at a specific millimolar concentration of GBCA corrected by its corresponding CT scan, (2) each PET scan corrected by a CT scan with no GBCA present (i.e., at 0 mM GBCA), and (3) a manually generated attenuation map, whereby all CT voxels in the phantom at 0 mM were replaced by LAC = 0.1 cm -1 . All attenuation correction methods (1-3) were accurate to the true measured activity concentration within 5%, and there were no trends in image

Experimental MRI-SPECT insert system with Hybrid Semiconductor detectors Timepix for MR animal scanner Bruker 47/20

Science.gov (United States)

Zajicek, J.; Burian, M.; Soukup, P.; Novak, V.; Macko, M.; Jakubek, J.

2017-01-01

Multimodal medical imaging based on Magnetic Resonance is mainly combinated with one of the scintigraphic method like PET or SPECT. These methods provide functional information whereas magnetic resonance imaging provides high spatial resolution of anatomical information or complementary functional information. Fusion of imaging modalities allows researchers to obtain complimentary information in a single measurement. The combination of MRI with SPECT is still relatively new and challenging in many ways. The main complication of using SPECT in MRI systems is the presence of a high magnetic field therefore (ferro)magnetic materials have to be eliminated. Furthermore the application of radiofrequency fields within the MR gantry does not allow for the use of conductive structures such as the common heavy metal collimators. This work presents design and construction of an experimental MRI-SPECT insert system and its initial tests. This unique insert system consists of an MR-compatible SPECT setup with CdTe pixelated sensors Timepix tungsten collimators and a radiofrequency coil. Measurements were performed on a gelatine and tissue phantom with an embedded radioisotopic source (57Co 122 keV γ ray) inside the RF coil by the Bruker BioSpec 47/20 (4.7 T) MR animal scanner. The project was performed in the framework of the Medipix Collaboration.

Sensitivity booster for DOI-PET scanner by utilizing Compton scattering events between detector blocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, Eiji, E-mail: rush@nirs.go.jp; Tashima, Hideaki; Yamaya, Taiga

2014-11-01

In a conventional PET scanner, coincidence events are measured with a limited energy window for detection of photoelectric events in order to reject Compton scatter events that occur in a patient, but Compton scatter events caused in detector crystals are also rejected. Scatter events within the patient causes scatter coincidences, but inter crystal scattering (ICS) events have useful information for determining an activity distribution. Some researchers have reported the feasibility of PET scanners based on a Compton camera for tracing ICS into the detector. However, these scanners require expensive semiconductor detectors for high-energy resolution. In the Anger-type block detector, single photons interacting with multiple detectors can be obtained for each interacting position and complete information can be gotten just as for photoelectric events in the single detector. ICS events in the single detector have been used to get coincidence, but single photons interacting with multiple detectors have not been used to get coincidence. In this work, we evaluated effect of sensitivity improvement using Compton kinetics in several types of DOI-PET scanners. The proposed method promises to improve the sensitivity using coincidence events of single photons interacting with multiple detectors, which are identified as the first interaction (FI). FI estimation accuracy can be improved to determine FI validity from the correlation between Compton scatter angles calculated on the coincidence line-of-response. We simulated an animal PET scanner consisting of 42 detectors. Each detector block consists of three types of scintillator crystals (LSO, GSO and GAGG). After the simulation, coincidence events are added as information for several depth-of-interaction (DOI) resolutions. From the simulation results, we concluded the proposed method promises to improve the sensitivity considerably when effective atomic number of a scintillator is low. Also, we showed that FI estimate

Effects of injected dose, BMI and scanner type on NECR and image noise in PET imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang Tingting; Chang Guoping; Clark, John W Jr; Kohlmyer, Steve; Rohren, Eric; Mawlawi, Osama R

2011-01-01

Noise equivalent count rate (NECR) and image noise are two different but related metrics that have been used to predict and assess image quality, respectively. The aim of this study is to investigate, using patient studies, the relationships between injected dose (ID), body mass index (BMI) and scanner type on NECR and image noise measurements in PET imaging. Two groups of 90 patients each were imaged on a GE DSTE and a DRX PET/CT scanner, respectively. The patients in each group were divided into nine subgroups according to three BMI (20-24.9, 25-29.9, 30-45 kg m -2 ) and three ID (296-444, 444-555, 555-740 MBq) ranges, resulting in ten patients/subgroup. All PET data were acquired in 3D mode and reconstructed using the VuePoint HD (registered) fully 3D OSEM algorithm (2 iterations, 21(DRX) or 20 (DSTE) subsets). NECR and image noise measurements for bed positions covering the liver were calculated for each patient. NECR was calculated from the trues, randoms and scatter events recorded in the DICOM header of each patient study, while image noise was determined as the standard deviation of 50 non-neighboring voxels in the liver of each patient. A t-test compared the NECR and image noise for different scanners but with the same BMI and ID. An ANOVA test on the other hand was used to compare the results of patients with different BMI but the same ID and scanner type as well as different ID but the same BMI and scanner type. As expected the t-test showed a significant difference in NECR between the two scanners for all BMI and ID subgroups. However, contrary to what is expected no such findings were observed for image noise measurement. The ANOVA results showed a statistically significant difference in both NECR and image noise among the different BMI for each ID and scanner subgroup. However, there was no statistically significant difference in NECR and image noise across different ID for each BMI and scanner subgroup. Although the GE DRX PET/CT scanner has better

New cardiac cameras: single-photon emission CT and PET.

Science.gov (United States)

Slomka, Piotr J; Berman, Daniel S; Germano, Guido

2014-07-01

Nuclear cardiology instrumentation has evolved significantly in the recent years. Concerns about radiation dose and long acquisition times have propelled developments of dedicated high-efficiency cardiac SPECT scanners. Novel collimator designs, such as multipinhole or locally focusing collimators arranged in geometries that are optimized for cardiac imaging, have been implemented to enhance photon-detection sensitivity. Some of these new SPECT scanners use solid-state photon detectors instead of photomultipliers to improve image quality and to reduce the scanner footprint. These new SPECT devices allow dramatic up to 7-fold reduction in acquisition times or similar reduction in radiation dose. In addition, new hardware for photon attenuation correction allowing ultralow radiation doses has been offered by some vendors. To mitigate photon attenuation artifacts for the new SPECT scanners not equipped with attenuation correction hardware, 2-position (upright-supine or prone-supine) imaging has been proposed. PET hardware developments have been primarily driven by the requirements of oncologic imaging, but cardiac imaging can benefit from improved PET image quality and improved sensitivity of 3D systems. The time-of-flight reconstruction combined with resolution recovery techniques is now implemented by all major PET vendors. These new methods improve image contrast and image resolution and reduce image noise. High-sensitivity 3D PET without interplane septa allows reduced radiation dose for cardiac perfusion imaging. Simultaneous PET/MR hybrid system has been developed. Solid-state PET detectors with avalanche photodiodes or digital silicon photomultipliers have been introduced, and they offer improved imaging characteristics and reduced sensitivity to electromagnetic MR fields. Higher maximum count rate of the new PET detectors allows routine first-pass Rb-82 imaging, with 3D PET acquisition enabling clinical utilization of dynamic imaging with myocardial flow

PET performance evaluation of MADPET4: a small animal PET insert for a 7 T MRI scanner

Science.gov (United States)

Omidvari, Negar; Cabello, Jorge; Topping, Geoffrey; Schneider, Florian R.; Paul, Stephan; Schwaiger, Markus; Ziegler, Sibylle I.

2017-11-01

MADPET4 is the first small animal PET insert with two layers of individually read out crystals in combination with silicon photomultiplier technology. It has a novel detector arrangement, in which all crystals face the center of field of view transaxially. In this work, the PET performance of MADPET4 was evaluated and compared to other preclinical PET scanners using the NEMA NU 4 measurements, followed by imaging a mouse-size hot-rod resolution phantom and two in vivo simultaneous PET/MRI scans in a 7 T MRI scanner. The insert had a peak sensitivity of 0.49%, using an energy threshold of 350 keV. A uniform transaxial resolution was obtained up to 15 mm radial offset from the axial center, using filtered back-projection with single-slice rebinning. The measured average radial and tangential resolutions (FWHM) were 1.38 mm and 1.39 mm, respectively. The 1.2 mm rods were separable in the hot-rod phantom using an iterative image reconstruction algorithm. The scatter fraction was 7.3% and peak noise equivalent count rate was 15.5 kcps at 65.1 MBq of activity. The FDG uptake in a mouse heart and brain were visible in the two in vivo simultaneous PET/MRI scans without applying image corrections. In conclusion, the insert demonstrated a good overall performance and can be used for small animal multi-modal research applications.

Correlation between arterial spin labeling MRI and dynamic FDG on PET-MR in Alzheimer’s disease and non-Alzhiemer’s disease patients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Douglas, David; Goubran, Maged; Wilson, Eugene; Xu, Guofan; Tripathi, Pragya; Holley, Dawn; Chao, Steven; Wintermark, Max; Quon, Andrew; Zeineh, Michael; Vasanawala, Minal; Zaharchuk, Greg [Stanford University, California (United States)

2015-05-18

Regional hypoperfusion on Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI and corresponding regions of hypometabolism on FDG PET have been reported in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). To our knowledge these correlations have not been studied under simultaneous acquisition. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation of ASL with FDG PET under simultaneous acquisition on PET-MR and to explore this correlation as a possible biomarker for AD. Dynamic FDG and ASL imaging was performed using a simultaneous TOF-enabled PET-MR scanner in 7 subjects without AD and 3 subjects with AD. Average age was 68±5 years. Automated atlas-based segmentation was performed using T2 MRI using the Talairach atlas. Quantitative analysis of ASL and FDG (delayed 45-75 minute scan) was performed in five regions using the pons as a reference region for both perfusion and metabolism. Statistical analyses included Spearman’s correlation and student’s t-test. Significant correlation of relative perfusion and metabolism was found in two of the five brain regions including the putamen (p = 0.018) and the hippocampus (p = 0.031). In addition, there was significant difference between the relative perfusion and metabolism of the thalamus (p = 0.04). No difference was seen between the AD and non-AD groups. Simultaneous PET-MR demonstrates a positive correlation of perfusion of ASL with metabolism on FDG PET in the hippocampus and putamen. The putamen correlation has previously been reported in the literature on a non-simultaneous ASL and FDG imaging. The thalamus was noted to have a difference in the relative perfusion and metabolism representing a perfusion-metabolism mismatch. Future studies should explore the correlation in additional brain regions and the meaning of perfusion-metabolism mismatches as potential imaging biomarkers for patients with and without AD.

A feasibility study of ortho-positronium decays measurement with the J-PET scanner based on plastic scintillators

Science.gov (United States)

Kamińska, D.; Gajos, A.; Czerwiński, E.; Alfs, D.; Bednarski, T.; Białas, P.; Curceanu, C.; Dulski, K.; Głowacz, B.; Gupta-Sharma, N.; Gorgol, M.; Hiesmayr, B. C.; Jasińska, B.; Korcyl, G.; Kowalski, P.; Krzemień, W.; Krawczyk, N.; Kubicz, E.; Mohammed, M.; Niedźwiecki, Sz.; Pawlik-Niedźwiecka, M.; Raczyński, L.; Rudy, Z.; Silarski, M.; Wieczorek, A.; Wiślicki, W.; Zgardzińska, B.; Zieliński, M.; Moskal, P.

2016-08-01

We present a study of the application of the Jagiellonian positron emission tomograph (J-PET) for the registration of gamma quanta from decays of ortho-positronium (o-Ps). The J-PET is the first positron emission tomography scanner based on organic scintillators in contrast to all current PET scanners based on inorganic crystals. Monte Carlo simulations show that the J-PET as an axially symmetric and high acceptance scanner can be used as a multi-purpose detector well suited to pursue research including e.g. tests of discrete symmetries in decays of ortho-positronium in addition to the medical imaging. The gamma quanta originating from o-Ps decay interact in the plastic scintillators predominantly via the Compton effect, making the direct measurement of their energy impossible. Nevertheless, it is shown in this paper that the J-PET scanner will enable studies of the { o-Ps }→ 3γ decays with angular and energy resolution equal to σ (θ ) ≈ {0.4°} and σ (E) ≈ 4.1 {keV}, respectively. An order of magnitude shorter decay time of signals from plastic scintillators with respect to the inorganic crystals results not only in better timing properties crucial for the reduction of physical and instrumental background, but also suppresses significantly the pile-ups, thus enabling compensation of the lower efficiency of the plastic scintillators by performing measurements with higher positron source activities.

TOF-PET scanner configurations for quality assurance in proton therapy: a patient case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dendooven, Peter; Diblen, Faruk; Buitenhuis, H.J.T.; Oxley, D.C.; Biegun, A.K.; van der Borden, A.J.; Brandenburg, Sijtze; Cambraia Lopes, P.; van der Schaaf, A.; Schaart, D.R.; Vandenberghe, S.; van 't Veld, A.A.

2014-01-01

In order to determine the clinical benefit of positron emission tomography (PET) for dose delivery verification in proton therapy, we performed a patient case study comparing in-situ with in-room time-of-flight (TOF) PET. For the in-situ option, we consider both a (limited-angle) clinical scanner

Predicting standard-dose PET image from low-dose PET and multimodal MR images using mapping-based sparse representation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Yan; Zhou, Jiliu; Zhang, Pei; An, Le; Ma, Guangkai; Kang, Jiayin; Shi, Feng; Shen, Dinggang; Wu, Xi; Lalush, David S; Lin, Weili

2016-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) has been widely used in clinical diagnosis for diseases and disorders. To obtain high-quality PET images requires a standard-dose radionuclide (tracer) injection into the human body, which inevitably increases risk of radiation exposure. One possible solution to this problem is to predict the standard-dose PET image from its low-dose counterpart and its corresponding multimodal magnetic resonance (MR) images. Inspired by the success of patch-based sparse representation (SR) in super-resolution image reconstruction, we propose a mapping-based SR (m-SR) framework for standard-dose PET image prediction. Compared with the conventional patch-based SR, our method uses a mapping strategy to ensure that the sparse coefficients, estimated from the multimodal MR images and low-dose PET image, can be applied directly to the prediction of standard-dose PET image. As the mapping between multimodal MR images (or low-dose PET image) and standard-dose PET images can be particularly complex, one step of mapping is often insufficient. To this end, an incremental refinement framework is therefore proposed. Specifically, the predicted standard-dose PET image is further mapped to the target standard-dose PET image, and then the SR is performed again to predict a new standard-dose PET image. This procedure can be repeated for prediction refinement of the iterations. Also, a patch selection based dictionary construction method is further used to speed up the prediction process. The proposed method is validated on a human brain dataset. The experimental results show that our method can outperform benchmark methods in both qualitative and quantitative measures. (paper)

Whole-body PET/MRI: The effect of bone attenuation during MR-based attenuation correction in oncology imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aznar, M.C., E-mail: marianne.aznar@regionh.dk [Department of Oncology, Section of Radiotherapy 3994, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Sersar, R., E-mail: rachidadk@hotmail.com [DTU Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby (Denmark); Saabye, J., E-mail: julie_saa@hotmail.com [DTU Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby (Denmark); Ladefoged, C.N., E-mail: claesnl@gmail.com [Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen (Denmark); Andersen, F.L., E-mail: Flemming.Andersen@regionh.dk [Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen (Denmark); Rasmussen, J.H., E-mail: jacobrasmu@gmail.com [Department of Oncology, Section of Radiotherapy 3994, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Löfgren, J., E-mail: Johan.Loefgren@regionh.dk [Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen (Denmark); Beyer, T., E-mail: thomas.beyer@meduniwien.ac.at [Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna (Austria)

2014-07-15

Purpose: In combined PET/MRI standard PET attenuation correction (AC) is based on tissue segmentation following dedicated MR sequencing and, typically, bone tissue is not represented. We evaluate PET quantification in whole-body (WB)-PET/MRI following MR-AC without considering bone attenuation and then investigate different strategies to account for bone tissue in clinical PET/MR imaging. To this purpose, bone tissue representation was extracted from separate CT images, and different bone representations were simulated from hypothetically derived MR-based bone classifications. Methods: Twenty oncology patients referred for a PET/CT were injected with either [18F]-FDG or [18F]-NaF and imaged on PET/CT (Biograph TruePoint/mCT, Siemens) and PET/MRI (mMR, Siemens) following a standard single-injection, dual-imaging clinical WB-protocol. Routine MR-AC was based on in-/opposed-phase MR imaging (orgMR-AC). PET(/MRI) images were reconstructed (AW-OSEM, 3 iterations, 21 subsets, 4 mm Gaussian) following routine MR-AC and MR-AC based on four modified attenuation maps. These modified attenuation maps were created for each patient by non-linear co-registration of the CT images to the orgMR-AC images, and adding CT bone mask values representing cortical bone: 1200 HU (cortCT), spongiosa bone: 350 HU (spongCT), average CT value (meanCT) and original CT values (orgCT). Relative difference images of the PET following AC using the modified attenuation maps were compared. SUVmean was calculated in anatomical reference regions and for PET-positive lesions. Results: The relative differences in SUVmean across patients following orgMR-AC and orgCT in soft tissue lesions and in bone lesions were similar (range: 0.0% to −22.5%), with an average underestimation of SUVmean of 7.2% and 10.0%, respectively when using orgMR-AC. In bone lesions, spongCT values were closest to orgCT (median bias of 1.3%, range: –9.0% to 13.5%) while the overestimation of SUVmean with respect to orgCT was

Looking forward to a PET scanner designed for non-human primates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Keiji

1992-01-01

The cerebral cortex of non-human primates has been divided, mainly by anatomical techniques, into an enormous number of areas. We are looking forward to a PET scanner designed for non-human primates, with a hope to determine active brain regions when the animal does various cognitive tasks. This measurement with PET can be combined with single cell recordings and anatomical tracer studies in non-human primates. Another big hope is to detect a change of active regions as the learning advances. (author)

Workflow efficiency of two 1.5 T MR scanners with and without an automated user interface for head examinations.

Science.gov (United States)

Moenninghoff, Christoph; Umutlu, Lale; Kloeters, Christian; Ringelstein, Adrian; Ladd, Mark E; Sombetzki, Antje; Lauenstein, Thomas C; Forsting, Michael; Schlamann, Marc

2013-06-01

Workflow efficiency and workload of radiological technologists (RTs) were compared in head examinations performed with two 1.5 T magnetic resonance (MR) scanners equipped with or without an automated user interface called "day optimizing throughput" (Dot) workflow engine. Thirty-four patients with known intracranial pathology were examined with a 1.5 T MR scanner with Dot workflow engine (Siemens MAGNETOM Aera) and with a 1.5 T MR scanner with conventional user interface (Siemens MAGNETOM Avanto) using four standardized examination protocols. The elapsed time for all necessary work steps, which were performed by 11 RTs within the total examination time, was compared for each examination at both MR scanners. The RTs evaluated the user-friendliness of both scanners by a questionnaire. Normality of distribution was checked for all continuous variables by use of the Shapiro-Wilk test. Normally distributed variables were analyzed by Student's paired t-test, otherwise Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare means. Total examination time of MR examinations performed with Dot engine was reduced from 24:53 to 20:01 minutes (P user interface (P = .001). According to this preliminary study, the Dot workflow engine is a time-saving user assistance software, which decreases the RTs' effort significantly and may help to automate neuroradiological examinations for a higher workflow efficiency. Copyright © 2013 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multi institutional quantitative phantom study of yttrium-90 PET in PET/MRI: the MR-QUEST study.

Science.gov (United States)

Maughan, Nichole M; Eldib, Mootaz; Faul, David; Conti, Maurizio; Elschot, Mattijs; Knešaurek, Karin; Leek, Francesca; Townsend, David; DiFilippo, Frank P; Jackson, Kimberly; Nekolla, Stephan G; Lukas, Mathias; Tapner, Michael; Parikh, Parag J; Laforest, Richard

2018-04-04

Yttrium-90 ( 90 Y) radioembolization involves the intra-arterial delivery of radioactive microspheres to treat hepatic malignancies. Though this therapy involves careful pre-treatment planning and imaging, little is known about the precise location of the microspheres once they are administered. Recently, there has been growing interest post-radioembolization imaging using positron-emission tomography (PET) for quantitative dosimetry and identifying lesions that may benefit from additional salvage therapy. In this study, we aim to measure the inter-center variability of 90 Y PET measurements as measured on PET/MRI in preparation for a multi-institutional prospective phase I/II clinical trial. Eight institutions participated in this study and followed a standardized phantom filling and imaging protocol. The NEMA NU2-2012 body phantom was filled with 3 GBq of 90 Y chloride solution. The phantom was imaged for 30 min in listmode on a Siemens Biograph mMR non-TOF PET/MRI scanner at five time points across 10 days (0.3-3.0 GBq). Raw PET data were sent to a central site for image reconstruction and data analysis. Images were reconstructed with optimal parameters determined from a previous study. Volumes of interest (VOIs) matching the known sphere diameters were drawn on the vendor-provided attenuation map and propagated to the PET images. Recovery coefficients (RCs) and coefficient of variation of the RCs (COV) were calculated from these VOIs for each sphere size and activity level. Mean RCs ranged from 14.5 to 75.4%, with the lowest mean RC coming from the smallest sphere (10 mm) on the last day of imaging (0.16 MBq/ml) and the highest mean RC coming from the largest sphere (37 mm) on the first day of imaging (2.16 MBq/ml). The smaller spheres tended to exhibit higher COVs. In contrast, the larger spheres tended to exhibit lower COVs. COVs from the 37 mm sphere were  25%. Post-radioembolization dosimetry of lesions or other VOIs ≥ 22 mm in diameter can

Impact of respiratory motion correction and spatial resolution on lesion detection in PET: a simulation study based on real MR dynamic data

Science.gov (United States)

Polycarpou, Irene; Tsoumpas, Charalampos; King, Andrew P.; Marsden, Paul K.

2014-02-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of respiratory motion correction and spatial resolution on lesion detectability in PET as a function of lesion size and tracer uptake. Real respiratory signals describing different breathing types are combined with a motion model formed from real dynamic MR data to simulate multiple dynamic PET datasets acquired from a continuously moving subject. Lung and liver lesions were simulated with diameters ranging from 6 to 12 mm and lesion to background ratio ranging from 3:1 to 6:1. Projection data for 6 and 3 mm PET scanner resolution were generated using analytic simulations and reconstructed without and with motion correction. Motion correction was achieved using motion compensated image reconstruction. The detectability performance was quantified by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis obtained using a channelized Hotelling observer and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated as the figure of merit. The results indicate that respiratory motion limits the detectability of lung and liver lesions, depending on the variation of the breathing cycle length and amplitude. Patients with large quiescent periods had a greater AUC than patients with regular breathing cycles and patients with long-term variability in respiratory cycle or higher motion amplitude. In addition, small (less than 10 mm diameter) or low contrast (3:1) lesions showed the greatest improvement in AUC as a result of applying motion correction. In particular, after applying motion correction the AUC is improved by up to 42% with current PET resolution (i.e. 6 mm) and up to 51% for higher PET resolution (i.e. 3 mm). Finally, the benefit of increasing the scanner resolution is small unless motion correction is applied. This investigation indicates high impact of respiratory motion correction on lesion detectability in PET and highlights the importance of motion correction in order to benefit from the increased resolution of future

Impact of respiratory motion correction and spatial resolution on lesion detection in PET: a simulation study based on real MR dynamic data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polycarpou, Irene; Tsoumpas, Charalampos; King, Andrew P; Marsden, Paul K

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of respiratory motion correction and spatial resolution on lesion detectability in PET as a function of lesion size and tracer uptake. Real respiratory signals describing different breathing types are combined with a motion model formed from real dynamic MR data to simulate multiple dynamic PET datasets acquired from a continuously moving subject. Lung and liver lesions were simulated with diameters ranging from 6 to 12 mm and lesion to background ratio ranging from 3:1 to 6:1. Projection data for 6 and 3 mm PET scanner resolution were generated using analytic simulations and reconstructed without and with motion correction. Motion correction was achieved using motion compensated image reconstruction. The detectability performance was quantified by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis obtained using a channelized Hotelling observer and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated as the figure of merit. The results indicate that respiratory motion limits the detectability of lung and liver lesions, depending on the variation of the breathing cycle length and amplitude. Patients with large quiescent periods had a greater AUC than patients with regular breathing cycles and patients with long-term variability in respiratory cycle or higher motion amplitude. In addition, small (less than 10 mm diameter) or low contrast (3:1) lesions showed the greatest improvement in AUC as a result of applying motion correction. In particular, after applying motion correction the AUC is improved by up to 42% with current PET resolution (i.e. 6 mm) and up to 51% for higher PET resolution (i.e. 3 mm). Finally, the benefit of increasing the scanner resolution is small unless motion correction is applied. This investigation indicates high impact of respiratory motion correction on lesion detectability in PET and highlights the importance of motion correction in order to benefit from the increased resolution of future

Assessment of MR-compatibility of SiPM PET insert using short optical fiber bundles for small animal research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, H.G.; Hong, S.J.; Ko, G.B.; Yoon, H.S.; Lee, J.S.; Song, I.C.; Rhee, J.T.

2015-01-01

Simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide new perspectives in human disease research because of their complementary in-vivo imaging techniques. Previously, we have developed an MR-compatible PET insert based on optical fibers using silicon photomultipliers (SiPM). However when echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence was performed, signal intensity was slowly decreased by −0.9% over the 5.5 minutes and significant geometrical distortion was observed as the PET insert was installed inside an MRI bore, indicating that the PET electronics and its shielding boxes might have been too close to an MR imaging object. In this paper, optical fiber bundles with a length of 54 mm instead of 31 mm were employed to minimize PET interference on MR images. Furthermore, the LYSO crystals with a size of 1.5 × 1.5 × 7.0 mm 3 were used instead of 2.47 × 2.74 × 20.0 mm 3 for preclinical PET/MR applications. To improve the MR image quality, two receive-only loop coils were used. The effects of the PET insert on the SNR of the MR image either for morphological or advanced MR pulse sequences such as diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), functional MRI (fMRI), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) were investigated. The quantitative MR compatibility such as B 0 and B 1 field homogeneity without PET, with 'PET OFF', and with 'PET ON' was also evaluated. In conclusion, B 0 maps were not affected by the proposed PET insert whereas B 1 maps were significantly affected by the PET insert. The advanced MRI sequences such as DWI, EPI, and MRS can be performed without a significant MR image quality degradation

Anatomical and functional volume concordance between FDG PET, and T2 and diffusion-weighted MRI for cervical cancer: a hybrid PET/MR study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Hongzan; Xin, Jun; Zhang, Shaomin; Guo, Qiyong; Lu, Yueyue; Zhai, Wei; Zhao, Long [Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Department of Radiology, Shenyang, Liaoning (China); Peng, Weiai [NM Marketing, Great China, Philips Healthcare, Guangzhou (China); Wang, Baijun [Philips China Investment Co. Ltd. Shenyang Office, Shenyang, Liaoning (China)

2014-05-15

To evaluate the concordance among {sup 18}F-FDG PET imaging, MR T2-weighted (T2-W) imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps with diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging in cervical cancer using hybrid whole-body PET/MR. This study prospectively included 35 patients with cervical cancer who underwent pretreatment {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MR imaging. {sup 18}F-FDG PET and MR images were fused using standard software. The percent of the maximum standardized uptake values (SUV{sub max}) was used to contour tumours on PET images, and volumes were calculated automatically. Tumour volumes measured on T2-W and DW images were calculated with standard techniques of tumour area multiplied by the slice profile. Parametric statistics were used for data analysis. FDG PET tumour volumes calculated using SUV{sub max} (14.30 ± 4.70) and T2-W imaging volume (33.81 ± 27.32 cm{sup 3}) were similar (P > 0.05) at 35 % and 40 % of SUV{sub max} (32.91 ± 18.90 cm{sup 3} and 27.56 ± 17.19 cm{sup 3} respectively) and significantly correlated (P < 0.001; r = 0.735 and 0.766). The mean DW volume was 30.48 ± 22.41 cm{sup 3}. DW volumes were not significantly different from FDG PET volumes at either 35 % SUV{sub max} or 40 % SUV{sub max} or from T2-W imaging volumes (P > 0.05). PET subvolumes with increasing SUV{sub max} cut-off percentage showed an inverse change in mean ADC values on DW imaging (P < 0.001, ANOVA). Hybrid PET/MR showed strong volume concordance between FDG PET, and T2-W and DW imaging in cervical cancer. Cut-off at 35 % or 40 % of SUV{sub max} is recommended for {sup 18}F-FDG PET/MR SUV-based tumour volume estimation. The linear tumour subvolume concordance between FDG PET and DW imaging demonstrates individual regional concordance of metabolic activity and cell density. (orig.)

Prediction of CT Substitutes from MR Images Based on Local Diffeomorphic Mapping for Brain PET Attenuation Correction.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yao; Yang, Wei; Lu, Lijun; Lu, Zhentai; Zhong, Liming; Huang, Meiyan; Feng, Yanqiu; Feng, Qianjin; Chen, Wufan

2016-10-01

Attenuation correction is important for PET reconstruction. In PET/MR, MR intensities are not directly related to attenuation coefficients that are needed in PET imaging. The attenuation coefficient map can be derived from CT images. Therefore, prediction of CT substitutes from MR images is desired for attenuation correction in PET/MR. This study presents a patch-based method for CT prediction from MR images, generating attenuation maps for PET reconstruction. Because no global relation exists between MR and CT intensities, we propose local diffeomorphic mapping (LDM) for CT prediction. In LDM, we assume that MR and CT patches are located on 2 nonlinear manifolds, and the mapping from the MR manifold to the CT manifold approximates a diffeomorphism under a local constraint. Locality is important in LDM and is constrained by the following techniques. The first is local dictionary construction, wherein, for each patch in the testing MR image, a local search window is used to extract patches from training MR/CT pairs to construct MR and CT dictionaries. The k-nearest neighbors and an outlier detection strategy are then used to constrain the locality in MR and CT dictionaries. Second is local linear representation, wherein, local anchor embedding is used to solve MR dictionary coefficients when representing the MR testing sample. Under these local constraints, dictionary coefficients are linearly transferred from the MR manifold to the CT manifold and used to combine CT training samples to generate CT predictions. Our dataset contains 13 healthy subjects, each with T1- and T2-weighted MR and CT brain images. This method provides CT predictions with a mean absolute error of 110.1 Hounsfield units, Pearson linear correlation of 0.82, peak signal-to-noise ratio of 24.81 dB, and Dice in bone regions of 0.84 as compared with real CTs. CT substitute-based PET reconstruction has a regression slope of 1.0084 and R 2 of 0.9903 compared with real CT-based PET. In this method, no

Discrimination and anatomical mapping of PET-positive lesions: comparison of CT attenuation-corrected PET images with coregistered MR and CT images in the abdomen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuhn, Felix P.; Crook, David W.; Mader, Caecilia E.; Appenzeller, Philippe; Schulthess, G.K. von; Schmid, Daniel T. [University Hospital Zurich, Department of Medical Radiology, Zurich (Switzerland)

2013-01-15

PET/MR has the potential to become a powerful tool in clinical oncological imaging. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the performance of a single T1-weighted (T1w) fat-suppressed unenhanced MR pulse sequence of the abdomen in comparison with unenhanced low-dose CT images to characterize PET-positive lesions. A total of 100 oncological patients underwent sequential whole-body {sup 18}F-FDG PET with CT-based attenuation correction (AC), 40 mAs low-dose CT and two-point Dixon-based T1w 3D MRI of the abdomen in a trimodality PET/CT-MR system. PET-positive lesions were assessed by CT and MRI with regard to their anatomical location, conspicuity and additional relevant information for characterization. From among 66 patients with at least one PET-positive lesion, 147 lesions were evaluated. No significant difference between MRI and CT was found regarding anatomical lesion localization. The MR pulse sequence used performed significantly better than CT regarding conspicuity of liver lesions (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed ranks test), whereas no difference was noted for extrahepatic lesions. For overall lesion characterization, MRI was considered superior to CT in 40 % of lesions, equal to CT in 49 %, and inferior to CT in 11 %. Fast Dixon-based T1w MRI outperformed low-dose CT in terms of conspicuity and characterization of PET-positive liver lesions and performed similarly in extrahepatic tumour manifestations. Hence, under the assumption that the technical issue of MR AC for whole-body PET examinations is solved, in abdominal PET/MR imaging the replacement of low-dose CT by a single Dixon-based MR pulse sequence for anatomical lesion correlation appears to be valid and robust. (orig.)

Discrimination and anatomical mapping of PET-positive lesions: comparison of CT attenuation-corrected PET images with coregistered MR and CT images in the abdomen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhn, Felix P.; Crook, David W.; Mader, Caecilia E.; Appenzeller, Philippe; Schulthess, G.K. von; Schmid, Daniel T.

2013-01-01

PET/MR has the potential to become a powerful tool in clinical oncological imaging. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the performance of a single T1-weighted (T1w) fat-suppressed unenhanced MR pulse sequence of the abdomen in comparison with unenhanced low-dose CT images to characterize PET-positive lesions. A total of 100 oncological patients underwent sequential whole-body 18 F-FDG PET with CT-based attenuation correction (AC), 40 mAs low-dose CT and two-point Dixon-based T1w 3D MRI of the abdomen in a trimodality PET/CT-MR system. PET-positive lesions were assessed by CT and MRI with regard to their anatomical location, conspicuity and additional relevant information for characterization. From among 66 patients with at least one PET-positive lesion, 147 lesions were evaluated. No significant difference between MRI and CT was found regarding anatomical lesion localization. The MR pulse sequence used performed significantly better than CT regarding conspicuity of liver lesions (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed ranks test), whereas no difference was noted for extrahepatic lesions. For overall lesion characterization, MRI was considered superior to CT in 40 % of lesions, equal to CT in 49 %, and inferior to CT in 11 %. Fast Dixon-based T1w MRI outperformed low-dose CT in terms of conspicuity and characterization of PET-positive liver lesions and performed similarly in extrahepatic tumour manifestations. Hence, under the assumption that the technical issue of MR AC for whole-body PET examinations is solved, in abdominal PET/MR imaging the replacement of low-dose CT by a single Dixon-based MR pulse sequence for anatomical lesion correlation appears to be valid and robust. (orig.)

Multimodal Registration of gated cardiac PET, CT and MR sequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baty, X.

2007-07-01

The research described in this manuscript deals with the multimodal registration of cardiac images from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Position Emission Tomography (PET) and Computerized Tomography (CT). All these modalities are gated to the Electrocardiogram (ECG) and provide information to evaluate cardiac function, and to diagnose and to follow-up cardiovascular pathologies. PET imaging allows the evaluation of ventricular function and MRI is a gold standard for the study of the left ventricular function. The goal of our registration process is to merge functional (from PET) and anatomical images (from CT and MRI). Our process is adapted to the modalities used and is divided in two steps: (i) a global rigid 3-dimensional model-based ICP (Iterative Closest Point) registration between CT and MR data and (ii) an iconic 2-dimensional registration based on Free Form Deformations and Mutual Information. This last step presents an original contribution by using a composite image of CT (which presents epicardic contours) and PET (where endocardic contours are partially visible) data to make mutual information more accurate in representing the similarity with the MR data. To speed up the whole process, we also present a transformation initialization scheme using displacement field obtained form MR data only. The obtained results have been evaluated by experts. (author)

Quantitative image reconstruction for total-body PET imaging using the 2-meter long EXPLORER scanner

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xuezhu; Zhou, Jian; Cherry, Simon R.; Badawi, Ramsey D.; Qi, Jinyi

2017-03-01

The EXPLORER project aims to build a 2 meter long total-body PET scanner, which will provide extremely high sensitivity for imaging the entire human body. It will possess a range of capabilities currently unavailable to state-of-the-art clinical PET scanners with a limited axial field-of-view. The huge number of lines-of-response (LORs) of the EXPLORER poses a challenge to the data handling and image reconstruction. The objective of this study is to develop a quantitative image reconstruction method for the EXPLORER and compare its performance with current whole-body scanners. Fully 3D image reconstruction was performed using time-of-flight list-mode data with parallel computation. To recover the resolution loss caused by the parallax error between crystal pairs at a large axial ring difference or transaxial radial offset, we applied an image domain resolution model estimated from point source data. To evaluate the image quality, we conducted computer simulations using the SimSET Monte-Carlo toolkit and XCAT 2.0 anthropomorphic phantom to mimic a 20 min whole-body PET scan with an injection of 25 MBq 18F-FDG. We compare the performance of the EXPLORER with a current clinical scanner that has an axial FOV of 22 cm. The comparison results demonstrated superior image quality from the EXPLORER with a 6.9-fold reduction in noise standard deviation comparing with multi-bed imaging using the clinical scanner.

Anatomical and functional volume concordance between FDG PET, and T2 and diffusion-weighted MRI for cervical cancer: a hybrid PET/MR study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Hongzan; Xin, Jun; Zhang, Shaomin; Guo, Qiyong; Lu, Yueyue; Zhai, Wei; Zhao, Long; Peng, Weiai; Wang, Baijun

2014-01-01

To evaluate the concordance among 18 F-FDG PET imaging, MR T2-weighted (T2-W) imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps with diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging in cervical cancer using hybrid whole-body PET/MR. This study prospectively included 35 patients with cervical cancer who underwent pretreatment 18 F-FDG PET/MR imaging. 18 F-FDG PET and MR images were fused using standard software. The percent of the maximum standardized uptake values (SUV max ) was used to contour tumours on PET images, and volumes were calculated automatically. Tumour volumes measured on T2-W and DW images were calculated with standard techniques of tumour area multiplied by the slice profile. Parametric statistics were used for data analysis. FDG PET tumour volumes calculated using SUV max (14.30 ± 4.70) and T2-W imaging volume (33.81 ± 27.32 cm 3 ) were similar (P > 0.05) at 35 % and 40 % of SUV max (32.91 ± 18.90 cm 3 and 27.56 ± 17.19 cm 3 respectively) and significantly correlated (P 3 . DW volumes were not significantly different from FDG PET volumes at either 35 % SUV max or 40 % SUV max or from T2-W imaging volumes (P > 0.05). PET subvolumes with increasing SUV max cut-off percentage showed an inverse change in mean ADC values on DW imaging (P max is recommended for 18 F-FDG PET/MR SUV-based tumour volume estimation. The linear tumour subvolume concordance between FDG PET and DW imaging demonstrates individual regional concordance of metabolic activity and cell density. (orig.)

PET/MR: improvement of the UTE μ-maps using modified MLAA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benoit, Didier [Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen (Denmark); Ladefoged, Claes [Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet Copenhagen (Denmark); Rezaei, Ahmadreza [University of Leuven (Belgium); Keller, Sune; Andersen, Flemming; Hojgaard, Liselotte [Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen (Denmark); Hansen, Adam Espe [Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet Copenhagen (Denmark); Holm, Soren [Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen (Denmark); Nuyts, Johan [University of Leuven (Belgium)

2015-05-18

For a quantitative analysis in positron emission tomography (PET) or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), attenuation correction (AC) is mandatory. CTscans or transmission scans are common tools for determination of the attenuation μ-map, but in the case of a PET/MR hybrid system it is difficult to associate one of these scans. Many techniques have been developed in order to improve AC for PET/MR. Some methods are based on template- or atlas techniques, other methods apply a segmentation technique based on Dixon or UTE (Ultrashort Echo Time) MR to create the μ-map, followed by a standard OSEM reconstruction (OSEM/DIXON and OSEM/UTE). A different approach for AC has been developed by employing the emission sinogram data in the μ-map derivation. In this context, we modified the iterative MLAA (Maximum-Likelihood reconstruction of Attenuation and Activity) algorithm to improve the resulting emission image from the PET/MR system. We constrained the attenuation map update using the UTE μ-map and the T1-weighted (T1w) MR image in order to improve convergence towards a solution. Results show that the modified MLAA algorithm improved the estimated emission image compared to standard OSEM/UTE and OSEM/DIXON. In certain regions of the brain, in particular close to the skull and the air cavities, the modified MLAA algorithm generated less error than OSEM/UTE and OSEM/Dixon. The modified MLAA algorithm is able to compute an attenuation μ-map that is slightly more similar to the aligned CT μ-map than the UTE μ-map.

A feasibility study of ortho-positronium decays measurement with the J-PET scanner based on plastic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaminska, D.; Gajos, A.; Czerwinski, E.; Alfs, D.; Bednarski, T.; Bialas, P.; Dulski, K.; Glowacz, B.; Gupta-Sharma, N.; Korcyl, G.; Krawczyk, N.; Kubicz, E.; Mohammed, M.; Niedzwiecki, Sz.; Pawlik-Niedzwiecka, M.; Rudy, Z.; Wieczorek, A.; Zielinski, M.; Moskal, P.; Curceanu, C.; Silarski, M.; Gorgol, M.; Jasinska, B.; Zgardzinska, B.; Hiesmayr, B.C.; Kowalski, P.; Raczynski, L.; Wislicki, W.; Krzemien, W.

2016-01-01

We present a study of the application of the Jagiellonian positron emission tomograph (J-PET) for the registration of gamma quanta from decays of ortho-positronium (o-Ps). The J-PET is the first positron emission tomography scanner based on organic scintillators in contrast to all current PET scanners based on inorganic crystals. Monte Carlo simulations show that the J-PET as an axially symmetric and high acceptance scanner can be used as a multi-purpose detector well suited to pursue research including e.g. tests of discrete symmetries in decays of ortho-positronium in addition to the medical imaging. The gamma quanta originating from o-Ps decay interact in the plastic scintillators predominantly via the Compton effect, making the direct measurement of their energy impossible. Nevertheless, it is shown in this paper that the J-PET scanner will enable studies of the o-Ps → 3γ decays with angular and energy resolution equal to σ(θ) ∼ 0.4 circle and σ(E) ∼ 4.1 keV, respectively. An order of magnitude shorter decay time of signals from plastic scintillators with respect to the inorganic crystals results not only in better timing properties crucial for the reduction of physical and instrumental background, but also suppresses significantly the pile-ups, thus enabling compensation of the lower efficiency of the plastic scintillators by performing measurements with higher positron source activities. (orig.)

A feasibility study of ortho-positronium decays measurement with the J-PET scanner based on plastic scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaminska, D.; Gajos, A.; Czerwinski, E.; Alfs, D.; Bednarski, T.; Bialas, P.; Dulski, K.; Glowacz, B.; Gupta-Sharma, N.; Korcyl, G.; Krawczyk, N.; Kubicz, E.; Mohammed, M.; Niedzwiecki, Sz.; Pawlik-Niedzwiecka, M.; Rudy, Z.; Wieczorek, A.; Zielinski, M.; Moskal, P. [Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Krakow (Poland); Curceanu, C.; Silarski, M. [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, CP 13, Frascati (Italy); Gorgol, M.; Jasinska, B.; Zgardzinska, B. [Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Department of Nuclear Methods, Institute of Physics, Lublin (Poland); Hiesmayr, B.C. [University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna (Austria); Kowalski, P.; Raczynski, L.; Wislicki, W. [Swierk Computing Centre, National Centre for Nuclear Research, Otwock-Swierk (Poland); Krzemien, W. [National Centre for Nuclear Research, High Energy Department, Otwock-Swierk (Poland)

2016-08-15

We present a study of the application of the Jagiellonian positron emission tomograph (J-PET) for the registration of gamma quanta from decays of ortho-positronium (o-Ps). The J-PET is the first positron emission tomography scanner based on organic scintillators in contrast to all current PET scanners based on inorganic crystals. Monte Carlo simulations show that the J-PET as an axially symmetric and high acceptance scanner can be used as a multi-purpose detector well suited to pursue research including e.g. tests of discrete symmetries in decays of ortho-positronium in addition to the medical imaging. The gamma quanta originating from o-Ps decay interact in the plastic scintillators predominantly via the Compton effect, making the direct measurement of their energy impossible. Nevertheless, it is shown in this paper that the J-PET scanner will enable studies of the o-Ps → 3γ decays with angular and energy resolution equal to σ(θ) ∼ 0.4 {sup circle} and σ(E) ∼ 4.1 keV, respectively. An order of magnitude shorter decay time of signals from plastic scintillators with respect to the inorganic crystals results not only in better timing properties crucial for the reduction of physical and instrumental background, but also suppresses significantly the pile-ups, thus enabling compensation of the lower efficiency of the plastic scintillators by performing measurements with higher positron source activities. (orig.)

Prediction of cervical cancer recurrence using textural features extracted from 18F-FDG PET images acquired with different scanners.

Science.gov (United States)

Reuzé, Sylvain; Orlhac, Fanny; Chargari, Cyrus; Nioche, Christophe; Limkin, Elaine; Riet, François; Escande, Alexandre; Haie-Meder, Christine; Dercle, Laurent; Gouy, Sébastien; Buvat, Irène; Deutsch, Eric; Robert, Charlotte

2017-06-27

To identify an imaging signature predicting local recurrence for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) treated by chemoradiation and brachytherapy from baseline 18F-FDG PET images, and to evaluate the possibility of gathering images from two different PET scanners in a radiomic study. 118 patients were included retrospectively. Two groups (G1, G2) were defined according to the PET scanner used for image acquisition. Eleven radiomic features were extracted from delineated cervical tumors to evaluate: (i) the predictive value of features for local recurrence of LACC, (ii) their reproducibility as a function of the scanner within a hepatic reference volume, (iii) the impact of voxel size on feature values. Eight features were statistically significant predictors of local recurrence in G1 (p features were significantly different between G1 and G2 in the liver. Spatial resampling was not sufficient to explain the stratification effect. This study showed that radiomic features could predict local recurrence of LACC better than SUVmax. Further investigation is needed before applying a model designed using data from one PET scanner to another.

SiliPET: Design of an ultra-high resolution small animal PET scanner based on stacks of semi-conductor detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cesca, N.; Auricchio, N.; Di Domenico, G.; Zavattini, G.; Malaguti, R.; Andritschke, R.; Kanbach, G.; Schopper, F.

2007-01-01

We studied with Monte Carlo simulations, using the EGSnrc code, a new scanner for small animal positron emission tomography (PET), based on stacks of double-sided semiconductor detectors. Each stack is composed of planar detectors with dimension 70x60x1 mm 3 and orthogonal strips on both sides with 500 μm pitch to read the two interaction coordinates, the third being the detector number in the stack. Multiple interactions in a stack are discarded. In this way, we achieve a precise determination of the first interaction point of the two 511 keV photons. The reduced dimensions of the scanner also improve the solid angle coverage resulting in a high sensitivity. Preliminary results of scanners based on Si planar detectors are presented and the initial tomographic reconstructions demonstrate very good spatial resolution limited only by the positron range. This suggests that, this is a promising new approach for small animal PET imaging. We are testing some double-sided silicon detectors, equipped with 128 orthogonal p and n strips on opposite sides using VATAGP3 ASIC by IDEAS

Clinical and diagnostic value of preoperative MR mammography and FDG-PET in suspicious breast lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walter, C.; Scheidhauer, K.; Theissen, P.; Scharl, A.; Goering, U.J.; Kugel, H.; Krahe, T.; Pietrzyk, U.

2003-01-01

Dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) mammography and fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) of the breast were directly compared preoperatively in suspicious breast lesions. Forty-two breast lesions in 40 patients were examined with a three-dimensional dynamic MR imaging series and FDG-PET. The MR and PET examinations were evaluated separately and the results were compared with the histological findings. The sensitivity and specificity of each method were calculated. The diagnostic value of both modalities as single diagnostic tool and in combination was investigated. Nineteen malignant and 23 benign breast lesions were proven histologically. Magnetic resonance mammography and FDG-PET showed a sensitivity of 89 and 63%, respectively. The specificity was 74 and 91%, respectively. The combination of both imaging methods decreased the not-required biopsies from 55 to 17%. Only one false-negative finding - a patient pre-treated with chemotherapy - was observed in both methods. The combination of MR mammography and FDG-PET can help to decrease biopsies of benign breast lesions. Because of their high cost, these modalities should only be used in problematic cases to either rule out or to demonstrate malignancy. The best diagnostic strategy is achieved using MR mammography first. If the diagnosis is still questionable, FDG-PET can be performed. (orig.)

Impacts of Intelligent Automated Quality Control on a Small Animal APD-Based Digital PET Scanner

Science.gov (United States)

Charest, Jonathan; Beaudoin, Jean-François; Bergeron, Mélanie; Cadorette, Jules; Arpin, Louis; Lecomte, Roger; Brunet, Charles-Antoine; Fontaine, Réjean

2016-10-01

Stable system performance is mandatory to warrant the accuracy and reliability of biological results relying on small animal positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies. This simple requirement sets the ground for imposing routine quality control (QC) procedures to keep PET scanners at a reliable optimal performance level. However, such procedures can become burdensome to implement for scanner operators, especially taking into account the increasing number of data acquisition channels in newer generation PET scanners. In systems using pixel detectors to achieve enhanced spatial resolution and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), the QC workload rapidly increases to unmanageable levels due to the number of independent channels involved. An artificial intelligence based QC system, referred to as Scanner Intelligent Diagnosis for Optimal Performance (SIDOP), was proposed to help reducing the QC workload by performing automatic channel fault detection and diagnosis. SIDOP consists of four high-level modules that employ machine learning methods to perform their tasks: Parameter Extraction, Channel Fault Detection, Fault Prioritization, and Fault Diagnosis. Ultimately, SIDOP submits a prioritized faulty channel list to the operator and proposes actions to correct them. To validate that SIDOP can perform QC procedures adequately, it was deployed on a LabPET™ scanner and multiple performance metrics were extracted. After multiple corrections on sub-optimal scanner settings, a 8.5% (with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of [7.6, 9.3]) improvement in the CNR, a 17.0% (CI: [15.3, 18.7]) decrease of the uniformity percentage standard deviation, and a 6.8% gain in global sensitivity were observed. These results confirm that SIDOP can indeed be of assistance in performing QC procedures and restore performance to optimal figures.

Image quality assessment of LaBr3-based whole-body 3D PET scanners: a Monte Carlo evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surti, S; Karp, J S; Muehllehner, G

2004-01-01

The main thrust for this work is the investigation and design of a whole-body PET scanner based on new lanthanum bromide scintillators. We use Monte Carlo simulations to generate data for a 3D PET scanner based on LaBr 3 detectors, and to assess the count-rate capability and the reconstructed image quality of phantoms with hot and cold spheres using contrast and noise parameters. Previously we have shown that LaBr 3 has very high light output, excellent energy resolution and fast timing properties which can lead to the design of a time-of-flight (TOF) whole-body PET camera. The data presented here illustrate the performance of LaBr 3 without the additional benefit of TOF information, although our intention is to develop a scanner with TOF measurement capability. The only drawbacks of LaBr 3 are the lower stopping power and photo-fraction which affect both sensitivity and spatial resolution. However, in 3D PET imaging where energy resolution is very important for reducing scattered coincidences in the reconstructed image, the image quality attained in a non-TOF LaBr 3 scanner can potentially equal or surpass that achieved with other high sensitivity scanners. Our results show that there is a gain in NEC arising from the reduced scatter and random fractions in a LaBr 3 scanner. The reconstructed image resolution is slightly worse than a high-Z scintillator, but at increased count-rates, reduced pulse pileup leads to an image resolution similar to that of LSO. Image quality simulations predict reduced contrast for small hot spheres compared to an LSO scanner, but improved noise characteristics at similar clinical activity levels

Respiratory and cardiac motion correction in dual gated PET/MR imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fayad, Hadi; Monnier, Florian [LaTIM, INSERM, UMR 1101, Brest (France); Odille, Freedy; Felblinger, Jacques [INSERM U947, University of Nancy, Nancy (France); Lamare, Frederic [INCIA, UMR5287, CNRS, CHU Bordeaux, Bordeaux (France); Visvikis, Dimitris [LaTIM, INSERM, UMR 1101, Brest (France)

2015-05-18

Respiratory and cardiac motion in PET/MR imaging leads to reduced quantitative and qualitative image accuracy. Correction methodologies involve the use of double gated acquisitions which lead to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and to issues concerning the combination of cardiac and respiratory frames. The objective of this work is to use a generalized reconstruction by inversion of coupled systems (GRICS) approach, previously used for PET/MR respiratory motion correction, combined with a cardiac phase signal and a reconstruction incorporated PET motion correction approach in order to reconstruct motion free images from dual gated PET acquisitions. The GRICS method consists of formulating parallel MRI in the presence of patient motion as a coupled inverse problem. Its resolution, using a fixed-point method, allows the reconstructed image to be improved using a motion model constructed from the raw MR data and two respiratory belts. GRICS obtained respiratory displacements are interpolated using the cardiac phase derived from an ECG to model simultaneous cardiac and respiratory motion. Three different volunteer datasets (4DMR acquisitions) were used for evaluation. GATE was used to simulate 4DPET datasets corresponding to the acquired 4DMR images. Simulated data were subsequently binned using 16 cardiac phases (M1) vs diastole only (M2), in combination with 8 respiratory amplitude gates. Respiratory and cardiac motion corrected PET images using either M1 or M2 were compared to respiratory only corrected images and evaluated in terms of SNR and contrast improvement. Significant visual improvements were obtained when correcting simultaneously for respiratory and cardiac motion (using 16 cardiac phase or diastole only) compared to respiratory motion only compensation. Results were confirmed by an associated increased SNR and contrast. Results indicate that using GRICS is an efficient tool for respiratory and cardiac motion correction in dual gated PET/MR imaging.

Simultaneous PET-MRI in Oncology: A Solution Looking for a Problem?

Science.gov (United States)

Yankeelov, Thomas E.; Peterson, Todd E.; Abramson, Richard G.; Garcia-Izquierdo, David; Arlinghaus, Lori R.; Li, Xia; Atuegwu, Nkiruka C.; Catana, Ciprian; Manning, H. Charles; Fayad, Zahi A.; Gore, John C.

2012-01-01

With the recent development of integrated positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI) scanners, new possibilities for quantitative molecular imaging of cancer are realized. However, the practical advantages and potential clinical benefits of the ability to record PET and MRI data simultaneously must be balanced against the substantial costs and other requirements of such devices. In this review we highlight several of the key areas where integrated PET-MRI measurements, obtained simultaneously, are anticipated to have a significant impact on clinical and/or research studies. These areas include the use of MR-based motion corrections and/or a priori anatomical information for improved reconstruction of PET data; improved arterial input function characterization for PET kinetic modeling; the use of dual-modality contrast agents; and patient comfort and practical convenience. For widespread acceptance, a compelling case could be made if the combination of quantitative MRI and specific PET biomarkers significantly improves our ability to assess tumor status and response to therapy, and some likely candidates are now emerging. We consider the relative advantages and disadvantages afforded by PET-MRI and summarize current opinions and evidence as to the likely value of PET-MRI in the management of cancer. PMID:22795930

Hybrid cardiac imaging using PET/MRI: a joint position statement by the European Society of Cardiovascular Radiology (ESCR) and the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM).

Science.gov (United States)

Nensa, Felix; Bamberg, Fabian; Rischpler, Christoph; Menezes, Leon; Poeppel, Thorsten D; la Fougère, Christian; Beitzke, Dietrich; Rasul, Sazan; Loewe, Christian; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Bucerius, Jan; Kjaer, Andreas; Gutberlet, Matthias; Prakken, Niek H; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; Slart, Riemer H J A; Nekolla, Stephan G; Lassen, Martin L; Pichler, Bernd J; Schlosser, Thomas; Jacquier, Alexis; Quick, Harald H; Schäfers, Michael; Hacker, Marcus

2018-05-02

Positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have both been used for decades in cardiovascular imaging. Since 2010, hybrid PET/MRI using sequential and integrated scanner platforms has been available, with hybrid cardiac PET/MR imaging protocols increasingly incorporated into clinical workflows. Given the range of complementary information provided by each method, the use of hybrid PET/MRI may be justified and beneficial in particular clinical settings for the evaluation of different disease entities. In the present joint position statement, we critically review the role and value of integrated PET/MRI in cardiovascular imaging, provide a technical overview of cardiac PET/MRI and practical advice related to the cardiac PET/MRI workflow, identify cardiovascular applications that can potentially benefit from hybrid PET/MRI, and describe the needs for future development and research. In order to encourage its wide dissemination, this article is freely accessible on the European Radiology and European Journal of Hybrid Imaging web sites. • Studies and case-reports indicate that PET/MRI is a feasible and robust technology. • Promising fields of application include a variety of cardiac conditions. • Larger studies are required to demonstrate its incremental and cost-effective value. • The translation of novel radiopharmaceuticals and MR-sequences will provide exciting new opportunities.

Dental artifacts in the head and neck region: implications for Dixon-based attenuation correction in PET/MR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ladefoged, Claes N; Hansen, Adam E; Keller, Sune H; Fischer, Barbara M [Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen East (Denmark); Rasmussen, Jacob H [Department of Oncology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen East (Denmark); Law, Ian; Kjær, Andreas; Højgaard, Liselotte [Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen East (Denmark); Lauze, Francois [Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen East (Denmark); Beyer, Thomas [Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20/4L, Vienna, A-1090 (Austria); Andersen, Flemming L [Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen East (Denmark)

2015-03-11

In the absence of CT or traditional transmission sources in combined clinical positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) systems, MR images are used for MR-based attenuation correction (MR-AC). The susceptibility effects due to metal implants challenge MR-AC in the neck region of patients with dental implants. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency and magnitude of subsequent PET image distortions following MR-AC. A total of 148 PET/MR patients with clear visual signal voids on the attenuation map in the dental region were included in this study. Patients were injected with [{sup 18}F]-FDG, [{sup 11}C]-PiB, [{sup 18}F]-FET, or [{sup 64}Cu]-DOTATATE. The PET/MR data were acquired over a single-bed position of 25.8 cm covering the head and neck. MR-AC was based on either standard MR-AC{sub DIXON} or MR-AC{sub INPAINTED} where the susceptibility-induced signal voids were substituted with soft tissue information. Our inpainting algorithm delineates the outer contour of signal voids breaching the anatomical volume using the non-attenuation-corrected PET image and classifies the inner air regions based on an aligned template of likely dental artifact areas. The reconstructed PET images were evaluated visually and quantitatively using regions of interests in reference regions. The volume of the artifacts and the computed relative differences in mean and max standardized uptake value (SUV) between the two PET images are reported. The MR-based volume of the susceptibility-induced signal voids on the MR-AC attenuation maps was between 1.6 and 520.8 mL. The corresponding/resulting bias of the reconstructed tracer distribution was localized mainly in the area of the signal void. The mean and maximum SUVs averaged across all patients increased after inpainting by 52% (± 11%) and 28% (± 11%), respectively, in the corrected region. SUV underestimation decreased with the distance to the signal void and correlated with the volume of the susceptibility

Side-by-side reading of PET and CT scans in oncology: Which patients might profit from integrated PET/CT?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reinartz, Patrick; Wieres, Franz-Josef; Schneider, Wolfram; Schur, Alexander; Buell, Ulrich

2004-01-01

Most early publications on integrated positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) devices have reported the new scanner generation to be superior to conventional PET. However, few of these studies have analysed the situation where, in addition to PET, a current CT scan is available for side-by-side viewing. This fact is important, because combined PET/CT or a software-based fusion of the two modalities may improve diagnosis only in cases where side-by-side reading of PET and CT data does not lead to a definitive diagnosis. The aim of this study was to analyse which patients will profit from integrated PET/CT in terms of lesion characterization. A total of 328 consecutively admitted patients referred for PET in whom a current CT scan was available were included in the study. The localization of all pathological PET lesions, as well as possible infiltration of adjacent anatomical structures, was assessed. Of 467 pathological lesions, 94.0% were correctly assessed with respect to localization and infiltration by either conventional PET alone (51.6%) or combined reading of PET and the already existing CT scans (42.4%). Hence, in only 6.0% of all lesions, affecting 6.7% of all patients, could evaluation have profited from integrated PET/CT. We conclude that side-by-side viewing of PET and CT scans is essential, as in 42.4% of all cases, combined viewing was important for a correct diagnosis in our series. In up to 6.7% of patients, integrated PET/CT might have given additional information, so that in nearly 50% of patients some form of combined viewing of PET and CT data is needed for accurate lesion characterization. (orig.)