SUV Normalized by Skeletal Volume on 18F-Fluoride PET/CT Studies.

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Standardized uptake values (SUVs) in F-NaF PET/CT are crucial for quantitative analysis.
• Body weight normalization of SUVs can be inaccurate in patients with extreme body mass.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel SUV normalization technique for F-NaF PET/CT using skeletal volume.
• To compare this new method against traditional body weight normalization.

Main Methods:

• SUVs were measured in the humerus and femur of 12 F-NaF PET/CT studies.
• Patients were divided into two groups based on extreme body weights (<50 kg and >90 kg).
• SUVs were calculated using both body weight (SUV BW) and skeletal volume (SUV SV) normalization.

Main Results:

• SUV BW was significantly higher in the heavier patient group (A90) compared to the lighter group (B50).
• SUV SV showed no statistically significant difference between the extreme body weight groups for both humerus and femur.
• P values for SUV SV were 0.27 (femur) and 0.87 (humerus).

Conclusions:

• SUV normalization by skeletal volume yields comparable results across a wide range of body weights.
• Skeletal volume normalization is a potentially more accurate method for semiquantitative analysis of F-NaF PET/CT studies.