Phantom-based evaluation of yttrium-90 datasets using biograph vision quadra

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Radiotherapy

Background:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment often involves 90Y radioembolization.
• Optimizing PET/CT imaging is crucial for assessing treatment effectiveness and patient outcomes.
• Long axial field-of-view (AFOV) PET/CT scanners offer potential for improved imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate image quality characteristics of a long AFOV PET/CT scanner using 90Y.
• To identify the optimal reconstruction parameters for imaging patients post-90Y radioembolization for HCC.

Main Methods:

• Two NEMA phantoms (hot and cold background) with 90Y were imaged.
• Reconstruction parameters included iterations (2-8), Gaussian filters (2-6mm), matrices (440x440, 220x220), and sensitivity modes (HS, UHS).
• Acquisition times ranged from 5 to 50 minutes; patient data used 1-20 minute frames.

Main Results:

• Ultra-high sensitivity (UHS) mode with 2 iterations yielded the highest recovery coefficients (RC) and signal-to-noise ratios (SNR).
• RC values remained stable for acquisition times down to 20 minutes.
• Patient data showed significantly higher SNR with 2 iterations compared to 4 iterations across various time frames.

Conclusions:

• The long AFOV PET/CT scanner demonstrates high image quality for 90Y imaging.
• Optimal reconstruction involves 2 iterations in UHS mode, providing high RC even for small spheres.
• Acceptable SNR for patient imaging can be achieved with as little as 5-minute acquisitions.