[Report in 2018 April ～ 2020 March].

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiophysics

Background:

• Harmonization of FDG-PET imaging is crucial for consistent clinical interpretation.
• Previous phantom studies in the early 2000s established baseline performance metrics.
• Technological advancements in PET scanners necessitate updated performance evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a practical methodology for harmonizing FDG-PET scanner performance.
• To quantitatively assess the physical performance of recent clinical PET scanners.
• To compare current scanner performance with historical data.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the NEMA image quality phantom for standardized testing.
• Acquired quantitative physical performance data from 23 recent clinical PET scanners.
• Compared current data with historical phantom data from 13 scanners.

Main Results:

• Current PET scanners demonstrated improved contrast recovery for small spheres compared to earlier models.
• Enhanced image quality was observed despite a reduction in coincidence counts.
• Significant improvements in clinical PET image quality and small lesion detectability are suggested over the past decade.

Conclusions:

• Recent PET scanners exhibit superior performance, enhancing small lesion detection.
• The findings support the need for updated phantom test methodologies and harmonization criteria for FDG-PET.
• This research contributes to establishing standardized protocols for clinical FDG-PET imaging.