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Effect of attenuation correction on lesion detection using a hybrid PET system
Chiraporn Tocharoenchai1, Benjamin M W Tsui, Eric C Frey
1Department of Radiological Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
Summary
Attenuation correction (AC) in hybrid PET imaging may decrease small lesion detection. This study found AC reduced lesion detectability in phantoms, though not statistically significantly, highlighting the need for careful parameter selection in hybrid PET systems.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Medicine
- Medical Imaging Physics
Background:
- Hybrid PET systems combine PET and other modalities.
- Accurate attenuation correction (AC) is crucial for quantitative PET imaging.
- The impact of AC on small lesion detection in hybrid systems requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of attenuation correction (AC) on the detectability of small lesions using a hybrid PET system.
- To compare lesion detection performance with and without AC in a phantom study.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a Siemens E. CAM+ dual-camera hybrid PET system with a uniform cylindrical phantom.
- Simulated small lesions (0.8- and 1-cm) with varying lesion-to-background ratios using F-18.
- Employed single slice rebinning and OS-EM reconstruction with and without AC.
- Assessed human observer performance using localization receiver operating characteristic (LROC) analysis.
Main Results:
- For a 0.8-cm lesion (14:1 L/B ratio), the area under the LROC curve (A(LROC)) decreased from 0.66 to 0.62 with AC.
- For a 1.0-cm lesion (8:1 L/B ratio), A(LROC) decreased from 0.69 to 0.63 with AC.
- No statistically significant difference in lesion detectability was observed with or without AC (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Attenuation correction (AC) may decrease lesion detectability for small lesions in phantoms with uniform backgrounds when using a hybrid PET system.
- The findings suggest that AC may not always improve, and can potentially hinder, small lesion detection in specific hybrid PET configurations.
- Further research is warranted to optimize AC protocols for enhanced lesion detection in clinical hybrid PET imaging.