Skip to main content

Variable-time positron emission tomography leg protocol to equalize noise for positron emission tomography/computed tomography acquisitions.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Wilson, JM; Coleman, RE; Turkington, TG
Published in: Nucl Med Commun
September 2011

OBJECTIVES: Positron emission tomography protocols conventionally use a constant scan time per bed position (BP). It may be optimal to spend more time scanning some body sections, particularly the more attenuating sections. The relatively consistent tapering of legs may allow a single, variable-time protocol that could reduce or redistribute time and equalize image quality throughout the leg. Reducing the total scan time will limit the opportunity for motion, which can reduce imaging artefacts and improves image fusion, will improve a patient's experience, and will yield the biggest gains in time for the tallest patients. METHODS: Leg dimensions were studied in 55 adult positron emission tomography/computed tomography scans. Image quality versus size was parameterized using bottle phantoms (diameters, 4.5-19.7 cm) filled with identical 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose concentrations, positioned as legs and imaged. An exponential relationship of diameter to noise was fit to the data, which defined the noise-equalizing, variable-time protocol. RESULTS: Of 55 patient leg studies, 94.5% (52/55) had leg diameters that were less than ± 7.5% of the mean leg diameter for other patients of similar height. To equalize noise throughout the leg, relative scan times from superior to inferior as a function of BP are (1, 0.65, 0.45, 0.36, 0.30, and 0.25). CONCLUSION: Variable time compared with a constant-time protocol can require 75% less time for some BPs and half the total acquisition time. A variable-time protocol to reduce time has been implemented.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Nucl Med Commun

DOI

EISSN

1473-5628

Publication Date

September 2011

Volume

32

Issue

9

Start / End Page

868 / 872

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Time Factors
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Phantoms, Imaging
  • Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
  • Leg
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Humans
  • Artifacts
  • Adult
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Wilson, J. M., Coleman, R. E., & Turkington, T. G. (2011). Variable-time positron emission tomography leg protocol to equalize noise for positron emission tomography/computed tomography acquisitions. Nucl Med Commun, 32(9), 868–872. https://doi.org/10.1097/MNM.0b013e328347f1a3
Wilson, Joshua M., R Edward Coleman, and Timothy G. Turkington. “Variable-time positron emission tomography leg protocol to equalize noise for positron emission tomography/computed tomography acquisitions.Nucl Med Commun 32, no. 9 (September 2011): 868–72. https://doi.org/10.1097/MNM.0b013e328347f1a3.
Wilson, Joshua M., et al. “Variable-time positron emission tomography leg protocol to equalize noise for positron emission tomography/computed tomography acquisitions.Nucl Med Commun, vol. 32, no. 9, Sept. 2011, pp. 868–72. Pubmed, doi:10.1097/MNM.0b013e328347f1a3.

Published In

Nucl Med Commun

DOI

EISSN

1473-5628

Publication Date

September 2011

Volume

32

Issue

9

Start / End Page

868 / 872

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Time Factors
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Phantoms, Imaging
  • Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
  • Leg
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Humans
  • Artifacts
  • Adult