A new approach of weighted integration technique based on accumulated images using dynamic PET and H2(15)O

We developed a new technique of weighted integration for the measurement of local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) and the blood-tissue partition coefficient (p) using dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) and H2(15)O. The weighted integration in the new technique is carried out on the equation of the first time integration of the Kety-Schmidt differential equation. Practically, serially accumulated images with sequentially prolonged accumulation times are weighted by two arbitrary functions. The weighting functions do not have to be differentiated because of the exclusion of the differential term in the starting equation. Consequently, the method does not require data at the end of the scan. The technique was applied to H2(15)O dynamic PET performed on four normal subjects, and was verified to provide a better signal-to-noise ratio than the previously developed integrated projection (IP) technique. Computer simulations were carried out to investigate the effects of statistical noise, tissue heterogeneity, and time delay and dispersion in arterial input function. The simulation showed that the new technique provided about a 1.4 times lower statistical error in both LCBF and p at 50 ml 100 g-1 min-1 compared to the IP technique, and it should be noted that the new technique was less sensitive to the shape of the weighting functions. The new technique provides a new strategy with respect to the statistical error for estimation of LCBF and p.