[Development and assessment of an automatic quantitative cerebral vascular reserve estimation tool for use with...

In nuclear medicine, cerebral vascular reserve(CVR) is evaluated using technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer [99mTc-ECD] and acetazolamide(ACZ). We developed a protocol involving the intravenous injection of 99mTc-ECD in three divided doses(TIE method), and have found that the cerebrovascular response to ACZ depended on time after ACZ administration. However, it was difficult to obtain high-precision quantitative SPECT images by the conventional method because of complicated image processing and image degradation accompanying image subtraction. We recently developed software known as the Automatic Quantitative CVR Estimation Tool(hereinafter referred to as Triple AQCEL), which, after the input of simple parameters, enables us to carry out automatic reconstruction of quantitative SPECT images without image degradation due to subtraction. Triple AQCEL was determined to reduce image degradation caused by subtraction and to provide valid quantitative data. Because Triple AQCEL does not require manual determination of ROI or image selection for the reconstruction of quantitative SPECT images, reproducibility of regional cerebral blood flow by 3DSRT is ensured. Since all analyses in evaluation by the TIE method are automated and the operator plays no part in them, with the resulting increase of throughput, this software will contribute to improved reproducibility of regional cerebral blood flow data, and will be useful in clinical pathophysiological assessment both preoperatively and during postoperative follow-up.