Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 4, 2025

Construction of a Preclinical Multimodality Phantom Using Tissue-mimicking Materials for Quality Assurance in Tumor Size Measurement
Published on: July 29, 2013
What validation tests can be done by the clinical medical physicist while waiting for the standardization of
Hanna Piwowarska-Bilska1, Aleksandra Supińska2, Bożena Birkenfeld3
1Nuclear Medicine Department, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland. hanna.piwowarska.bilska@gmail.com.
Objective:
The aim of the study was to assess the accuracy of quantitative SPECT/CT imaging in a clinical setting and to compare test results from two nuclear medicine departments.
Methods:
Phantom studies were carried out with two gamma cameras manufactured by GE Healthcare: Discovery NM/CT 670 and NM/CT 850, used in two nuclear medicine departments. The data were collected using a cylindrical uniform phantom and a NEMA/IEC NU2 Body Phantom, filled with 99mTc-pertechnetate.
Results:
The convergence of activity concentration recovery was validated for the two gamma cameras operating in two medical centers using the cylindrical uniform phantom. The comparison of results revealed a 5% difference in the background calibration factor Bg. cal; 6% difference in COV, and a 0.6% difference in total activity deviation ∆Atot. Recovery coefficients (RCmax) for activity concentration in spheres of the NEMA/IEC NU2 Body Phantom were measured for different image reconstruction techniques. RCmax was in the range of 0.2-0.4 for the smallest sphere (ϕ 10 mm), and 1.3-1.4 for the largest sphere (ϕ 37 mm). Conversion factors for SUVmax and SUVmean for the gamma camera systems used were 0.99 and 1.13, respectively.
Conclusions:
(1) Measurements taken in our study confirmed the clinical suitability of 5 parameters of image quality (Bg. cal-background calibration factor, ∆Atot-total activity deviation, COV-coefficient of variation used for image noise assessment, QH-hot contrast, AM-accuracy of measurements, or RC-recovery coefficient) for the validation of SPECT/CT system performance in terms of correct quantitative acquisitions of images. (2) This work shows that absolute SPECT/CT quantification is achievable in clinical nuclear medicine centers. Results variation of quantitative analyses between centers is mainly related to the use of different reconstruction methods. (3) It is necessary to standardize the technique of measuring the SUV conversion factor obtained with different SPECT/CT scanners.
More Related Videos
06:20Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition
Published on: March 11, 2021
07:13Author Spotlight: An Efficient and Robust Software for Automated Fusion of Multiple Preclinical Imaging Modalities
Published on: October 27, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
Radiological Investigation I: X-ray and CT
Radiological Investigation II: MRI and Ventilation Perfusion Scan
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Ventilation Perfusion Scans are two radiological investigations that offer detailed diagnostic images of the body, particularly lung structures.
MRI
MRI uses magnetic fields and radiofrequency signals to distinguish between normal and abnormal tissues. This technology provides a more detailed diagnostic image than CT scans, enabling it to characterize pulmonary nodules, stage bronchogenic carcinoma, and evaluate inflammatory activity in...
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT
Imaging Studies II: Positron Emission Tomography and Scintigraphy
Fundamental Principles of PET