Assessment of Image Quality and Lesion Detectability With Digital PET/CT System

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess image quality and lesion detectability acquired with a digital Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Siemens Biograph Vision 600 system.Material and Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent a FDG PET/CT during the first week of use of a digital PET/CT (Siemens Biograph Vision 600) at the nuclear medicine department of the university hospital of Brest were analyzed. PET were realized using list mode acquisition. For all patients, 4 datasets were reconstructed. We determined, according to phantom measurements, an equivalent time acquisition/reconstruction parameters pair of the digital PET/CT corresponding to an analog PET/CT image quality (“analog-like”) as reference dataset. We compared the reference dataset with 3 others digital PET/CT reconstruction parameters, allowing a decrease of emission duration: 60, 90, and 120 s per bed position. Three nuclear medicine physicians evaluated independently, for each dataset, overall image quality [Maximal Intensity Projection (MIP), noise, sharpness] using a 4-point scale. Physicians assessed also lesion detection capability by reporting new visible lesions on each digital datasets with their confidence level in comparison with analog-like dataset.Results: Ninety-eight patients were analyzed. Image quality of MIP (IQMIP), sharpness (IQSHARPNESS), and noise (IQNOISE) of all digital datasets (60, 90, and 120 s) were better than those evaluated with analog-like reconstruction. Moreover, digital PET/CT system improved IQMIP, IQNOISE, and IQSHARPNESS whatever the BMI. Lesion detection capability and confidence level were higher for 60, 90, 120 s per bed position, respectively, than for analog-like images.Conclusion: Our study demonstrated an improvement of image quality and lesion detectability with a digital PET/CT system.

Enhancement of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET Image Quality by Deep-Learning-Based Image Reconstruction Using Advanced Intelligent Clear-IQ Engine in Semiconductor-Based PET/CT Scanners

“…Some methods proposed to obtain high-resolution PET images include increasing the acquisition time, using a time-of-flight technique, new reconstruction methods, and semiconductor-based PET/CT scanners [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. In addition, silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)-based detectors (in semiconductor-based PET/CT scanners) have several advantages compared with photomultiplier tubes, such as a smaller size, higher intrinsic time resolution, and higher photon detection efficiency [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Van Sluis et al reported that on semiconductor PET/CT images, the lesion demarcation was sharper, the overall image quality was higher, and the visually assessed signal-to-noise ratio was higher than on conventional PET/CT images [ 19 ].…”

Multicentric development and evaluation of 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI radiomics models to predict para-aortic lymph node involvement in locally advanced cervical cancer

“…In addition, the integration of a new type of detectors has allowed the development of so-called "digital" PET/CT scanners, replacing the classical "analog" PET/CT. Recent studies have shown an improvement of image quality and lesion detectability with a digital PET/CT system [19]. Thus, digital PET/CT will likely gradually replace analog PET/CT, making it necessary to evaluate radiomic models on this new generation of PET/CT.…”

Impact of respiratory motion on 18F‐FDG PET radiomics stability: Clinical evaluation with a digital PET scanner

“…18 F‐fludeoxyglucose ( 18 F‐FDG) PET is widely used to assess glucose metabolic information in primary tumors, lymph nodes, or distant metastases in oncological patients 5 . With the advent of novel digital PET scanner, the lesion detection capability shows an improvement, owing to the higher sensitivity and better spatial resolution compared to the traditional analog PET scanner 6,7 . However, the adverse impact of respiratory motion is more pronounced for PET scanners with a higher spatial resolution, highlighting the importance of motion correction by the digital system 8 .…”

“…5 With the advent of novel digital PET scanner, the lesion detection capability shows an improvement, owing to the higher sensitivity and better spatial resolution compared to the traditional analog PET scanner. 6,7 However, the adverse impact of respiratory motion is more pronounced for PET scanners with a higher spatial resolution, highlighting the importance of motion correction by the digital system. 8 The data-driven gating (DDG) technique, which provides respiratory-gated PET images for motion correction, has been commercially developed.…”