Transition to Fast Whole-Body SPECT/CT Bone Imaging: An Assessment of Image Quality

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Radiology

Background:

• Diagnostic imaging relies on high-quality SPECT/CT scans.
• Reducing SPECT/CT acquisition time is desirable for patient comfort and throughput.
• Assessing the impact of reduced acquisition times on image quality is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of shortened SPECT/CT acquisition times on image quality for bone scans.
• To determine the minimum feasible acquisition duration while preserving diagnostic confidence.

Main Methods:

• SPECT/CT bone scan data from five patients were retrospectively analyzed.
• Acquisition times were reduced from 900s to 480s, 450s, 360s, and 180s.
• Images were reconstructed and independently assessed by Nuclear Medicine physicians for quality, noise, and confidence.

Main Results:

• Acquisition times of 480s and 450s generally yielded good image quality with average noise and fair confidence.
• Shorter durations (360s, 180s) showed statistically significant differences compared to the standard 900s acquisition.
• Lower iteration numbers (4, 8) were associated with better perceived quality at reduced scan times.

Conclusions:

• SPECT/CT acquisition time can be significantly reduced without compromising image quality, noise levels, or diagnostic confidence.
• Acquiring data for 450s-480s per bed position is feasible for whole-body bone scans.
• This shorter acquisition provides an optimal balance between scan duration and diagnostic image quality.