Validation of Software Gating: A Practical Technology for Respiratory Motion Correction in PET
Adam Leon Kesner1, Jonathan Hero Chung1, Kimberly Erin Lind1
1From the Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12700 E 19th Ave, Box C-278, Aurora, CO 80045 (A.L.K., K.E.L., J.J.K., P.J.K.); Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colo (J.H.C., D.L.); and Siemens, Hoffman Estates, Ill (D.B.).
Radiology
|March 31, 2016
Summary
Software gating for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging performed better than hardware gating for reducing respiratory motion. This automated method offers a feasible approach for motion correction in PET scans.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Nuclear Medicine
- Radiochemistry
Background:
- Respiratory motion significantly degrades image quality in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging.
- Accurate assessment of pulmonary nodules using PET requires effective motion correction techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the performance of hardware-based and software-based respiratory gating techniques in PET imaging.
- To evaluate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of respiratory motion characteristics.
Main Methods:
- 219 fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET scans from 116 patients were analyzed.
- Images were reconstructed using both hardware and software-derived respiratory gating signals.
- Reader preference and quantitative metrics (lesion SUVmax, FWHM) were used for comparison.
Main Results:
- Software gating was qualitatively preferred over hardware gating in blind reviews (16.9% vs 6.2%).
- Most image sets (76.9%) showed indistinguishable motion quality between gating types.
- Both gating methods significantly improved image quality compared to nongated images, with software gating showing a notable increase in lesion SUVmax (42.2% ± 38.9).
Conclusions:
- Software gating demonstrates favorable qualitative and quantitative performance compared to hardware gating for PET respiratory motion correction.
- Fully automated software gating is a viable and effective strategy for motion artifact reduction in PET imaging.
