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Sun P, Thomas MA, Luo D, Pan T. New full-counts phase-matched data-driven gated (DDG) PET/CT. Med Phys 2024; 51:4646-4654. [PMID: 38648671 PMCID: PMC11233242 DOI: 10.1002/mp.17097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Data-driven gated (DDG) PET has gained clinical acceptance and has been shown to match or outperform external-device gated (EDG) PET. However, in most clinical applications, DDG PET is matched with helical CT acquired in free breathing (FB) at a random respiratory phase, leaving registration, and optimal attenuation correction (AC) to chance. Furthermore, DDG PET requires additional scan time to reduce image noise as it only preserves 35%-50% of the PET data at or near the end-expiratory phase of the breathing cycle. PURPOSE A new full-counts, phase-matched (FCPM) DDG PET/CT was developed based on a low-dose cine CT to improve registration between DDG PET and DDG CT, to reduce image noise, and to avoid increasing acquisition times in DDG PET. METHODS A new DDG CT was developed for three respiratory phases of CT images from a low dose cine CT acquisition of 1.35 mSv for a coverage of about 15.4 cm: end-inspiration (EI), average (AVG), and end-expiration (EE) to match with the three corresponding phases of DDG PET data: -10% to 15%; 15% to 30%, and 80% to 90%; and 30% to 80%, respectively. The EI and EE phases of DDG CT were selected based on the physiological changes in lung density and body outlines reflected in the dynamic cine CT images. The AVG phase was derived from averaging of all phases of the cine CT images. The cine CT was acquired over the lower lungs and/or upper abdomen for correction of misregistration between PET and FB CT as well as DDG PET and FB CT. The three phases of DDG CT were used for AC of the corresponding phases of PET. After phase-matched AC of each PET dataset, the EI and AVG PET data were registered to the EE PET data with deformable image registration. The final result was FCPM DDG PET/CT which accounts for all PET data registered at the EE phase. We applied this approach to 14 18F-FDG lung cancer patient studies acquired at 2 min/bed position on the GE Discovery MI (25-cm axial FOV) and evaluated its efficacy in improved quantification and noise reduction. RESULTS Relative to static PET/CT, the SUVmax increases for the EI, AVG, EE, and FCPM DDG PET/CT were 1.67 ± 0.40, 1.50 ± 0.28, 1.64 ± 0.36, and 1.49 ± 0.28, respectively. There were 10.8% and 9.1% average decreases in SUVmax from EI and EE to FCPM DDG PET/CT, respectively. EI, AVG, and EE DDG PET/CT all maintained increased image noise relative to static PET/CT. However, the noise levels of FCPM and static PET were statistically equivalent, suggesting the inclusion of all counts was able to decrease the image noise relative to EI and EE DDG PET/CT. CONCLUSIONS A new FCPM DDG PET/CT has been developed to account for 100% of collected PET data in DDG PET applications. Image noise in FCPM is comparable to static PET, while small decreases in SUVmax were also observed in FCPM when compared to either EI or EE DDG PET/CT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Sun
- Department of Imaging Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - M Allan Thomas
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Dershan Luo
- Department of Radiation Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Tinsu Pan
- Department of Imaging Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
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Pan T, Luo D. Data-driven gated positron emission tomography/computed tomography for radiotherapy. Phys Imaging Radiat Oncol 2024; 31:100601. [PMID: 39040434 PMCID: PMC11261283 DOI: 10.1016/j.phro.2024.100601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Software-based data-driven gated (DDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has replaced hardware-based 4D PET/CT. The purpose of this article was to review DDG PET/CT, which could improve the accuracy of treatment response assessment, tumor motion evaluation, and target tumor contouring with whole-body (WB) PET/CT for radiotherapy (RT). Material and methods This review covered the topics of 4D PET/CT with hardware gating, advancements in PET instrumentation, DDG PET, DDG CT, and DDG PET/CT based on a systematic literature review. It included a discussion of the large axial field-of-view (AFOV) PET detector and a review of the clinical results of DDG PET and DDG PET/CT. Results DDG PET matched or outperformed 4D PET with hardware gating. DDG CT was more compatible with DDG PET than 4D CT, which required hardware gating. DDG CT could replace 4D CT for RT. DDG PET and DDG CT for DDG PET/CT can be incorporated in a WB PET/CT of less than 15 min scan time on a PET/CT scanner of at least 25 cm AFOV PET detector. Conclusions DDG PET/CT could correct the misregistration and tumor motion artifacts in a WB PET/CT and provide the quantitative PET and tumor motion information of a registered PET/CT for RT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tinsu Pan
- Department of Imaging Physics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, United States
| | - Dershan Luo
- Department of Radiation Physics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, United States
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Sun P, Thomas MA, Luo D, Pan T. Correcting CT misregistration in data-driven gated (DDG) PET with PET self-gating and deformable image registration. Med Phys 2024; 51:1626-1636. [PMID: 38285623 PMCID: PMC10939831 DOI: 10.1002/mp.16958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Misregistration between CT and PET data can result in mis-localization and inaccurate quantification of functional uptake in whole body PET/CT imaging. This problem is exacerbated when an abnormal inspiration occurs during the free-breathing helical CT (FB CT) used for attenuation correction of PET data. In data-driven gated (DDG) PET, the data selected for reconstruction is typically derived from the end-expiration (EE) phase of the breathing cycle, making this potential issue worse. PURPOSE The objective of this study is to develop a deformable image registration (DIR)-based respiratory motion model to improve the registration and quantification between misregistered FB CT and PET. METHODS Twenty-two whole-body 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans encompassing 48 lesions in misregistered regions were analyzed in this study. End-inspiration (EI) and EE PET data were derived from -10% to 15% and 30% to 80% of the breathing cycle, respectively. DIR was used to estimate a motion model from the EE to EI phase of the PET data. The model was then used to generate PET images at any phase of up to four times the amplitude of motion between EE and EI for correlation with the misregistered FB CT. Once a matched phase of the FB CT was determined, FB CT was deformed to a pseudo CT at the EE phase (DIR CT). DIR CT was compared with the ground truth DDG CT for AC and localization of the DDG PET. RESULTS Between DDG PET/FB CT and DDG PET/DIR CT, a significant increase in ∆%SUV was observed (p < 0.01), with median values elevating from 26.7% to 42.4%. This new method was most effective for lesions ≤3 cm proximal to the diaphragm (p < 0.001) but showed decreasing efficacy as the distance increased. When FB CT was severely misregistered with DDG PET (>3 cm), DDG PET/DIR CT outperformed DDG PET/FB CT alone (p < 0.05). Even when patients showed varied breathing patterns during the PET/CT scan, DDG PET/DIR CT still surpassed the efficiency of DDG PET/FB CT (p < 0.01). Though DDG PET/DIR CT couldn't match the performance of the DDG PET/CT ground truth (42.4% vs. 53.6%, p < 0.01), it reached 84% of its quantification, demonstrating good agreement and a strong overall correlation (regression coefficient of 0.94, p < 0.0001). In some cases, anatomical distortion and blurring, and misregistration error were observed in DIR CT, rendering it still unable to correct inaccurate localization near the boundaries of two organs. CONCLUSIONS Based on the motion model derived from gated PET data, DIR CT can significantly improve the quantification and localization of DDG PET. This approach can achieve a performance level of about 84% of the ground truth established by DDG PET/CT. These results show that self-gated PET and DIR CT may offer an alternative clinical solution to DDG PET and FB CT for quantification without the need for additional cine-CT imaging. DIR CT was at times inferior to DDG CT due to some distortion and blurring of anatomy and misregistration error.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Sun
- Department of Imaging Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - M Allan Thomas
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Dershan Luo
- Department of Radiation Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Tinsu Pan
- Department of Imaging Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
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Fukai S, Daisaki H, Ishiyama M, Shimada N, Umeda T, Motegi K, Ito R, Terauchi T. Reproducibility of the principal component analysis (PCA)-based data-driven respiratory gating on texture features in non-small cell lung cancer patients with 18 F-FDG PET/CT. J Appl Clin Med Phys 2023; 24:e13967. [PMID: 36943700 PMCID: PMC10161026 DOI: 10.1002/acm2.13967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Texture analysis is one of the lung cancer countermeasures in the field of radiomics. Even though image quality affects texture features, the reproducibility of principal component analysis (PCA)-based data-driven respiratory gating (DDG) on texture features remains poorly understood. Hence, this study aimed to clarify the reproducibility of PCA-based DDG on texture features in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with 18 F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18 F-FDG) Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). METHODS Twenty patients with NSCLC who underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT in routine clinical practice were retrospectively analyzed. Each patient's PET data were reconstructed in two PET groups of no gating (NG-PET) and PCA-based DDG gating (DDG-PET). Forty-six image features were analyzed using LIFEx software. Reproducibility was evaluated using Lin's concordance correlation coefficient ( ρ c ${\rho _c}$ ) and percentage difference (%Diff). Non-reproducibility was defined as having unacceptable strength ( ρ c $({\rho _c}$ < 0.8) and a %Diff of >10%. NG-PET and DDG-PET were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS A total of 3/46 (6.5%) image features had unacceptable strength, and 9/46 (19.6%) image features had a %Diff of >10%. Significant differences between the NG-PET and DDG-PET groups were confirmed in only 4/46 (8.7%) of the high %Diff image features. CONCLUSION Although the DDG application affected several texture features, most image features had adequate reproducibility. PCA-based DDG-PET can be routinely used as interchangeable images for texture feature extraction from NSCLC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Fukai
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Radiological Technology, Gunma Prefectural College of Health Sciences, Gunma, Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Daisaki
- Graduate School of Radiological Technology, Gunma Prefectural College of Health Sciences, Gunma, Japan
- Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mitsutomi Ishiyama
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naoki Shimada
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuro Umeda
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuki Motegi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryoma Ito
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Terauchi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
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Fukai S, Daisaki H, Shimada N, Ishiyama M, Umeda T, Yamashita K, Miyaji N, Takiguchi T, Kawakami H, Terauchi T. Evaluation of data-driven respiratory gating for subcentimeter lesions using digital PET/CT system and three-axis motion phantom. Biomed Phys Eng Express 2022; 9. [PMID: 36541506 DOI: 10.1088/2057-1976/aca90d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Introduction.The application of data-driven respiratory gating (DDG) for subcentimeter lesions with respiratory movement remains poorly understood. Hence, this study aimed to clarify DDG application for subcentimeter lesions and the ability of digital Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) system combined with DDG to detect these lesions under three-axis respiration.Methods.Discovery MI PET/CT system and National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) body phantom with Micro Hollow Sphere (4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 13 mm) were used. The NEMA phantom was filled with18F-FDG solutions of 42.4 and 5.3 kBq/ml for each hot sphere and background region. The 3.6 s cycles of three-axis respiratory motion were reproduced using the motion platform UniTraQ. The PET data acquisition was performed in stationary and respiratory-moving states. The data were reconstructed in three PET groups: stationary (NM-PET), no gating with respiratory movement (NG-PET), and DDG gating with respiratory movement (DDG-PET) groups. For image quality, percent contrast (QH); maximum, peak, and mean standardized uptake value (SUV); background region; and detectability index (DI) were evaluated in each PET group. Visual assessment was also conducted.Results.The groups with respiratory movement had deteriorated QHand SUVs compared with NM-PET. Compared with NG-PET, DDG-PET has significantly improved QHand SUVs in spheres above 6 mm. The background region showed no significant difference between groups. The SUVmax, SUVpeak, and QHvalues of 8 mm sphere were highest in NM-PET, followed by DDG-PET and NG-PET. In visual assessment, the spheres above 6 mm were detected in all PET groups. DDG application did not detect new lesions, but it increased DI and visual score.Conclusions. The application of principal component analysis (PCA)-based DDG algorithm improves both image quality and quantitative SUVs in subcentimeter lesions measuring above 6 mm. Although DDG application cannot detect new subcentimeter lesions, it increases the visual indices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Fukai
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550, Japan.,Graduate School of Radiological Technology, Gunma Prefectural College of Health Sciences, 323-1 Kamioki-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-0052, Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Daisaki
- Graduate School of Radiological Technology, Gunma Prefectural College of Health Sciences, 323-1 Kamioki-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-0052, Japan.,Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Naoki Shimada
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550, Japan
| | - Mitsutomi Ishiyama
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550, Japan
| | - Takuro Umeda
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550, Japan
| | - Kosuke Yamashita
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550, Japan
| | - Noriaki Miyaji
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Takiguchi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Kawakami
- APEX Medical, Inc., Kuramae Myouken-ya Building 5F, 3-17-4 Kuramae, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0051, Japan
| | - Takashi Terauchi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550, Japan
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Lassen ML, Tzolos E, Pan T, Kwiecinski J, Cadet S, Dey D, Berman D, Slomka P. Anatomical validation of automatic respiratory motion correction for coronary 18F-sodium fluoride positron emission tomography by expert measurements from four-dimensional computed tomography. Med Phys 2022; 49:7085-7094. [PMID: 35766454 PMCID: PMC9742185 DOI: 10.1002/mp.15834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Respiratory motion correction is of importance in studies of coronary plaques employing 18 F-NaF; however, the validation of motion correction techniques mainly relies on indirect measures such as test-retest repeatability assessments. In this study, we aim to compare and, thus, validate the respiratory motion vector fields obtained from the positron emission tomography (PET) images directly to the respiratory motion observed during four-dimensional cine-computed tomography (CT) by an expert observer. PURPOSE To investigate the accuracy of the motion correction employed in a software (FusionQuant) used for evaluation of 18 F-NaF PET studies by comparing the respiratory motion of the coronary plaques observed in PET to the respiratory motion observed in 4D cine-CT images. METHODS This study included 23 patients who undertook thoracic PET scans for the assessment of coronary plaques using 18 F-sodium fluoride (18 F-NaF). All patients underwent a 5-s cine-CT (4D-CT), a coronary CT angiography (CTA), and 18 F-NaF PET. The 4D-CT and PET scan were reconstructed into 10 phases. Respiratory motion was estimated for the non-contrast visible coronary plaques using diffeomorphic registrations (PET) and compared to respiratory motion observed on 4D-CT. We report the PET motion vector fields obtained in the three principal axes in addition to the 3D motion. Statistical differences were examined using paired t-tests. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) are reported for the single-phase images (end-expiratory phase) and for the motion-corrected image-series (employing the motion vector fields extracted during the diffeomorphic registrations). RESULTS In total, 19 coronary plaques were identified in 16 patients. No statistical differences were observed for the maximum respiratory motion observed in x, y, and the 3D motion fields (magnitude and direction) between the CT and PET (X direction: 4D CT = 2.5 ± 1.5 mm, PET = 2.4 ± 3.2 mm; Y direction: 4D CT = 2.3 ± 1.9 mm, PET = 0.7 ± 2.9 mm, 3D motion: 4D CT = 6.6 ± 3.1 mm, PET = 5.7 ± 2.6 mm, all p ≥ 0.05). Significant differences in respiratory motion were observed in the systems' Z direction: 4D CT = 4.9 ± 3.4 mm, PET = 2.3 ± 3.2 mm, p = 0.04. Significantly improved SNR is reported for the motion corrected images compared to the end-expiratory phase images (end-expiratory phase = 6.8±4.8, motion corrected = 12.2±4.5, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION Similar respiratory motion was observed in two directions and 3D for coronary plaques on 4D CT as detected by automatic respiratory motion correction of coronary PET using FusionQuant. The respiratory motion correction technique significantly improved the SNR in the images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Lyngby Lassen
- Department of Imaging (Division of Nuclear Medicine), Medicine (Division of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine), and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA,Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET and Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Evangelos Tzolos
- Department of Imaging (Division of Nuclear Medicine), Medicine (Division of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine), and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA,BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Tinsu Pan
- Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jacek Kwiecinski
- Department of Imaging (Division of Nuclear Medicine), Medicine (Division of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine), and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA,Department of Interventional Cardiology and Angiology, Institute of Cardiology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Sebastien Cadet
- Department of Imaging (Division of Nuclear Medicine), Medicine (Division of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine), and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Damini Dey
- Department of Imaging (Division of Nuclear Medicine), Medicine (Division of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine), and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Berman
- Department of Imaging (Division of Nuclear Medicine), Medicine (Division of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine), and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Piotr Slomka
- Department of Imaging (Division of Nuclear Medicine), Medicine (Division of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine), and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Grootjans W, Rietbergen DDD, van Velden FHP. Added Value of Respiratory Gating in Positron Emission Tomography for the Clinical Management of Lung Cancer Patients. Semin Nucl Med 2022; 52:745-758. [DOI: 10.1053/j.semnuclmed.2022.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Meier JG, Diab RH, Connor TM, Mawlawi OR. Impact of low injected activity on data driven respiratory gating for PET/CT imaging with continuous bed motion. J Appl Clin Med Phys 2022; 23:e13619. [PMID: 35481961 PMCID: PMC9121057 DOI: 10.1002/acm2.13619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Data driven respiratory gating (DDG) in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging extracts respiratory waveforms from the acquired PET data obviating the need for dedicated external devices. DDG performance, however, degrades with decreasing detected number of coincidence counts. In this paper, we assess the clinical impact of reducing injected activity on a new DDG algorithm designed for PET data acquired with continuous bed motion (CBM_DDG) by evaluating CBM_DDG waveforms, tumor quantification, and physician's perception of motion blur in resultant images. Forty patients were imaged on a Siemens mCT scanner in CBM mode. Reduced injected activity was simulated by generating list mode datasets with 50% and 25% of the original data (100%). CBM_DDG waveforms were compared to that of the original data over the range between the aortic arch and the center of the right kidney using the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC). Tumor quantification was assessed by comparing the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and peak SUV (SUVpeak) of reconstructed images from the various list mode datasets using elastic motion deblurring (EMDB) reconstruction. Perceived motion blur was assessed by three radiologists of one lesion per patient on a continuous scale from no motion blur (0) to significant motion blur (3). The mean PCC of the 50% and 25% dataset waveforms was 0.74 ± 0.18 and 0.59 ± 0.25, respectively. In comparison to the 100% datasets, the mean SUVmax increased by 2.25% (p = 0.11) for the 50% datasets and by 3.91% (p = 0.16) for the 25% datasets, while SUVpeak changes were within ±0.25%. Radiologist evaluations of motion blur showed negligible changes with average values of 0.21, 0.3, and 0.28 for the 100%, 50%, and 25% datasets. Decreased injected activities degrades the resultant CBM_DDG respiratory waveforms; however this decrease has minimal impact on quantification and perceived image motion blur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph G Meier
- Department of Imaging Physics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA.,MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Science Center, Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Radwan H Diab
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kansas University School of Medicine, Wichita, Kansas, USA
| | - Trevor M Connor
- Department of Imaging Physics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
| | - Osama R Mawlawi
- Department of Imaging Physics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA.,MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Science Center, Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas, USA
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Thomas MA, Meier JG, Mawlawi OR, Sun P, Pan T. Impact of acquisition time and misregistration with CT on data-driven gated PET. Phys Med Biol 2022; 67:10.1088/1361-6560/ac5f73. [PMID: 35313286 PMCID: PMC9128538 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ac5f73] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Objective. Data-driven gating (DDG) can address patient motion issues and enhance PET quantification but suffers from increased image noise from utilization of <100% of PET data. Misregistration between DDG-PET and CT may also occur, altering the potential benefits of gating. Here, the effects of PET acquisition time and CT misregistration were assessed with a combined DDG-PET/DDG-CT technique.Approach. In the primary PET bed with lesions of interest and likely respiratory motion effects, PET acquisition time was extended to 12 min and a low-dose cine CT was acquired to enable DDG-CT. Retrospective reconstructions were created for both non-gated (NG) and DDG-PET using 30 s to 12 min of PET data. Both the standard helical CT and DDG-CT were used for attenuation correction of DDG-PET data. SUVmax, SUVpeak, and CNR were compared for 45 lesions in the liver and lung from 27 cases.Main results. For both NG-PET (p= 0.0041) and DDG-PET (p= 0.0028), only the 30 s acquisition time showed clear SUVmaxbias relative to the 3 min clinical standard. SUVpeakshowed no bias at any change in acquisition time. DDG-PET alone increased SUVmaxby 15 ± 20% (p< 0.0001), then was increased further by an additional 15 ± 29% (p= 0.0007) with DDG-PET/CT. Both 3 min and 6 min DDG-PET had lesion CNR statistically equivalent to 3 min NG-PET, but then increased at 12 min by 28 ± 48% (p= 0.0022). DDG-PET/CT at 6 min had comparable counts to 3 min NG-PET, but significantly increased CNR by 39 ± 46% (p< 0.0001).Significance. 50% counts DDG-PET did not lead to inaccurate or biased SUV-increased SUV resulted from gating. Improved registration from DDG-CT was equally as important as motion correction with DDG-PET for increasing SUV in DDG-PET/CT. Lesion detectability could be significantly improved when DDG-PET used equivalent counts to NG-PET, but only when combined with DDG-CT in DDG-PET/CT.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Allan Thomas
- Department of Imaging Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Joseph G. Meier
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53726
| | - Osama R. Mawlawi
- Department of Imaging Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Peng Sun
- Department of Imaging Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Tinsu Pan
- Department of Imaging Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
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Pan T, Thomas MA, Luo D. Data-driven gated (DDG) CT: An automated respiratory gating method to enable DDG PET/CT. Med Phys 2022; 49:3597-3611. [PMID: 35324002 DOI: 10.1002/mp.15620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The accuracy of PET quantification and localization can be compromised if a misregistered CT is used for attenuation correction (AC) in PET/CT. As data-driven gating (DDG) continues to grow in clinical use, these issues are becoming more relevant with respect to solutions for gated CT. PURPOSE In this work, a new automated data-driven gated (DDG) CT method was developed to provide average CT and DDG CT for AC of PET and DDG PET, respectively. METHODS An automatic DDG CT was developed to provide the end-expiratory (EE) and end-inspiratory (EI) phases of images from low-dose cine CT images, with all phases being averaged to generate an average CT. The respiratory phases of EE and EI were determined according to lung region Hounsfield unit (HU) values and body outline contours. The average CT was used for AC of baseline PET and DDG CT at EE phase was used for AC of DDG PET at the quiescent or EE phase. The EI and EE phases obtained with DDG CT were used for assessing the magnitude of respiratory motion. The proposed DDG CT was compared to two commercial CT gating methods: 1) 4D CT (external device based) and 2) D4D CT (DDG based) in 38 patient data sets with respect to respiratory phase image selection, lung HU, lung volume, and image artifacts. In a separate set of twenty consecutive PET/CT studies containing a mix of 18 F-FDG, 68 Ga-Dotatate, and 64 Cu-Dotatate scans, the proposed DDG CT was compared with D4D CT for impacts on registration and quantification in DDG PET/CT. RESULTS In the EE phase, the images selected by DDG CT and 4D CT were identical 62.5±21.6% of the time, while DDG CT and D4D CT were 6.5±9.7%, and 4D CT and D4D CT were 8.6±12.2%. These differences in EE phase image selection were significant (p<0.0001). In the EI phase, the images selected by DDG CT and 4D CT were identical 68.2±18.9% of the time, DDG CT and D4D CT were 63.9±18.8%, and 4D CT and D4D CT were 61.2±19.8%. These differences were not significant. The mean lung HU and volumes were not statistically different (p > 0.1) among the three methods. In some studies, DDG CT was better than D4D or 4D CT in appropriate selection of the EE and EI phases, and D4D CT was found to reverse the EE and EI phases or not select the correct images by visual inspection. A statistically significant improvement of DDG CT over D4D CT for AC of DDG PET was also demonstrated with PET quantification analysis. When irregular breath cycles were present in the cine CT, DDG CT could be used to replace average CT for improved AC of baseline PET. CONCLUSION A new automatic DDG CT was developed to tackle the issues of misregistration and tumor motion in PET/CT imaging. DDG CT was significantly more consistent than D4D CT in selecting the EE phase images as the clinical standard of 4D CT. When compared to both commercial gated CT methods of 4D CT and D4D CT, DDG CT appeared to be more robust in the lower lung and upper diaphragm regions where misregistration and tumor motion often occur. DDG CT offered improved AC for DDG PET relative to D4D CT. In cases with irregular respiratory motion, DDG CT improved AC over average CT for baseline PET. The new DDG CT provides the benefits of 4D CT without the need for external device gating. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tinsu Pan
- Department of Imaging Physics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - M Allan Thomas
- Department of Imaging Physics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Dershan Luo
- Department of Radiation Physics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA
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Yamashita K, Miyaji N, Motegi K, Ito S, Terauchi T. [Effects of CT-based Attenuation Correction on PET Images Using Data-driven Respiratory Gating]. Nihon Hoshasen Gijutsu Gakkai Zasshi 2021; 77:1317-1324. [PMID: 34803112 DOI: 10.6009/jjrt.2021_jsrt_77.11.1317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE We applied deviceless, positron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET/CT) data-driven respiratory gating (DDG) to validate the effects of misalignment between PET and CT at various respiratory phases. METHODS A lung lesion was simulated using an NEMA IEC body phantom in which the background comprised hot spheres containing polystyrene foam beads. We acquired PET images as the phantom moved downwards and then stopped. Attenuation on computed tomography images acquired at the inspiratory, stationary, and expiratory phases was corrected after the phantom stopped moving. Normalized mean square error (NMSE), recovery coefficients (RCmax and RCmean) and volume were analyzed on DDG-PET images using CT-based attenuation correction. RESULTS The NMSE was closest to 0 in PET images corrected using the expiratory CT image. The RCmax was<1.0, and the RCmean was closest to 1.0 only in PET images corrected using the expiratory CT image. Volume was either underestimated or overestimated more according to the size of the spheres when the alignment of CT and PET images was greater. CONCLUSION We recommend using the expiratory but not the inspiratory phase when using DDG for PET/CT correction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosuke Yamashita
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research.,Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kumamoto University
| | - Noriaki Miyaji
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
| | - Kazuki Motegi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
| | - Shigeki Ito
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University
| | - Takashi Terauchi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
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Miwa K, Miyaji N, Yamashita K, Yamao T, Kamitaka Y. [Management of Respiratory Motion in PET/CT: Data-driven Respiratory Gating PET/CT]. Nihon Hoshasen Gijutsu Gakkai Zasshi 2021; 77:1356-1365. [PMID: 34803117 DOI: 10.6009/jjrt.2021_jsrt_77.11.1356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Miwa
- Department of Radiological Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Fukushima Medical University
| | - Noriaki Miyaji
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
| | - Kosuke Yamashita
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
| | - Tensho Yamao
- Department of Radiological Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Fukushima Medical University
| | - Yuto Kamitaka
- Research Team for Neuroimaging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology
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Thomas MA, Pan T. Data-driven gated PET/CT: implications for lesion segmentation and quantitation. EJNMMI Phys 2021; 8:64. [PMID: 34453630 PMCID: PMC8403089 DOI: 10.1186/s40658-021-00411-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Data-driven gating (DDG) can improve PET quantitation and alleviate many issues with patient motion. However, misregistration between DDG-PET and CT may occur due to the distinct temporal resolutions of PET and CT and can be mitigated by DDG-CT. Here, the effects of misregistration and respiratory motion on PET quantitation and lesion segmentation were assessed with a new DDG-PET/CT method. Methods A low-dose cine-CT was acquired in misregistered regions to enable both average CT (ACT) and DDG-CT. The following were compared: (1) baseline PET/CT, (2) PET/ACT (attenuation correction, AC = ACT), (3) DDG-PET (AC = helical CT), and (4) DDG-PET/CT (AC = DDG-CT). For DDG-PET, end-expiration (EE) data were derived from 50% of the total PET data at 30% from end-inspiration. For DDG-CT, EE phase CT data were extracted from cine-CT data by lung Hounsfield unit (HU) value and body contour. A total of 91 lesions from 16 consecutive patients were assessed for changes in standard uptake value (SUV), lesion glycolysis (LG), lesion volume, centroid-to-centroid distance (CCD), and DICE coefficients. Results Relative to baseline PET/CT, median changes in SUVmax ± σ for all 91 lesions were 20 ± 43%, 26 ± 23%, and 66 ± 66%, respectively, for PET/ACT, DDG-PET, and DDG-PET/CT. Median changes in lesion volume were 0 ± 58%, − 36 ± 26%, and − 26 ± 40%. LG for individual lesions increased for PET/ACT and decreased for DDG-PET, but was not different for DDG-PET/CT. Changes in mean HU from baseline PET/CT were dramatic for most lesions in both PET/ACT and DDG-PET/CT, especially for lesions with mean HU < 0 at baseline. CCD and DICE were both affected more by motion correction with DDG-PET than improved registration with ACT or DDG-CT. Conclusion As misregistration becomes more prominent, the impact of motion correction with DDG-PET is diminished. The potential benefits of DDG-PET toward accurate lesion segmentation and quantitation could only be fully realized when combined with DDG-CT. These results impress upon the necessity of ensuring both misregistration and motion correction are accounted for together to optimize the clinical utility of PET/CT. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40658-021-00411-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Allan Thomas
- Department of Imaging Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Tinsu Pan
- Department of Imaging Physics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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