Accurate total-body K_i parametric imaging with shortened dynamic ¹⁸ F-FDG PET scan durations via effective data...

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiochemistry
• Oncology

Background:

• Total-body dynamic positron emission tomography (dPET) using ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) is valuable in oncology.
• Conventional scan durations of ~1 hour limit its clinical application.
• This study explores shortening scan times to 30 minutes post-injection (PI) for K_i estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of a 30-minute total-body dPET scan duration.
• To assess the accuracy of K_i estimations for tumor lesions using a novel Patlak algorithm.
• To compare the performance of shortened scan protocols with standard 1-hour scans.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed ¹⁸F-FDG total-body dPET data from 15 cancer patients using the uEXPLORER scanner.
• Reconstructed dynamic images into 25 frames with a specific temporal protocol.
• Applied a novel Patlak data processing method with cubic Hermite interpolation to 30-minute PI data for K_i parametric imaging.

Main Results:

• Acceptable K_i parametric images were successfully generated from 30-minute PI data.
• The novel Patlak processing method significantly reduced noise compared to unprocessed data.
• Bland-Altman and Pearson analyses confirmed higher accuracy of 30-minute K_i images for tumor lesions.

Conclusions:

• Satisfactory K_i parametric images with high tumor accuracy are achievable with 30-minute PI dynamic imaging.
• Patlak data processing improves K_i imaging quality and accuracy for tumor lesions.
• Shortened 30-minute ¹⁸F-FDG PET scans are clinically feasible for accurate tumor K_i assessment and detection using uEXPLORER scanners.