FASpecT/CT, A New SPECT/CT Acquisition With Higher Sensitivity and Efficiency in Radioiodine Thyroid Cancer Imaging

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiology
• Oncology

Background:

• Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) management often involves radioiodine therapy and subsequent imaging.
• Conventional SPECT/CT protocols can be time-consuming, potentially impacting patient compliance, especially in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel, faster SPECT/CT acquisition protocol (FASpecT/CT) in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.
• To assess the efficacy of FASpecT/CT in improving lesion detection and reducing scan times.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 30 differentiated thyroid cancer patients treated with radioiodine.
• Comparison of a new SPECT/CT protocol (FASpecT/CT) with fewer angle acquisitions (12 views) against conventional SPECT/CT (60-64 views).
• Utilized iterative reconstruction to enable reduced angle acquisitions in FASpecT/CT.

Main Results:

• The FASpecT/CT protocol enhanced lesion detection in patients with low radioiodine uptake (low count rates).
• For patients with high radioiodine uptake (high count rates), FASpecT/CT significantly decreased imaging acquisition time.
• Case examples illustrating FASpecT/CT findings were presented for 4 out of 30 patients.

Conclusions:

• FASpecT/CT offers improved sensitivity for detecting metastatic lymph nodes in radioiodine-treated DTC patients with low count rates.
• The protocol provides a substantial reduction in imaging time for patients with high count rates.
• These benefits enhance patient acceptability of SPECT/CT, particularly for those sensitive to prolonged scans, including pediatric patients.