Optimizing bioimpedance measurement configuration for dual-gated nuclear medicine imaging: a sensitivity study

Motion artefacts due to respiration and cardiac contractions may deteriorate the quality of nuclear medicine imaging leading to incorrect diagnosis and inadequate treatment. Motion artefacts can be minimized by simultaneous respiratory and cardiac gating, dual-gating. Currently, only cardiac gating is often performed. In this study, an optimized bioimpedance measurement configuration was determined for simultaneous respiratory and cardiac gating signal acquisition. The optimized configuration was located on anterolateral upper thorax based on sensitivity simulations utilizing a simplified thorax model. The validity of the optimized configuration was studied with six healthy volunteers. In the peak-to-peak and frequency content analyses the optimized configuration showed consistently higher peak-to-peak values and frequency content than other studied measurement configurations. This study indicates that the bioimpedance method has potential for the dual-gating in nuclear medicine imaging. The method would minimize the need of additional equipment, is easy for the technologists to use and comfortable for the patients.