Image Quality and Quantitative PET Parameters of Low-Dose [¹⁸F]FDG PET in a Long Axial Field-of-View PET/CT Scanner

PET/CT scanners with a long axial field-of-view (LAFOV) provide increased sensitivity, enabling the adjustment of imaging parameters by reducing the injected activity or shortening the acquisition time. This study aimed to evaluate the limitations of reduced [¹⁸F]FDG activity doses on image quality, lesion detectability, and the quantification of lesion uptake in the Biograph Vision Quadra, as well as to assess the benefits of the recently introduced ultra-high sensitivity mode in a clinical setting. A number of 26 patients who underwent [¹⁸F]FDG-PET/CT (3.0 MBq/kg, 5 min scan time) were included in this analysis. The PET raw data was rebinned for shorter frame durations to simulate 5 min scans with lower activities in the high sensitivity (HS) and ultra-high sensitivity (UHS) modes. Image quality, noise, and lesion detectability (n = 82) were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. The coefficient of variation (CoV), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), tumor-to-background ratio (TBR), and standardized uptake values (SUV) including SUV_mean, SUV_max, and SUV_peak were evaluated. Subjective image ratings were generally superior in UHS compared to the HS mode. At 0.5 MBq/kg, lesion detectability decreased to 95% (HS) and to 98% (UHS). SNR was comparable at 1.0 MBq/kg in HS (5.7 ± 0.6) and 0.5 MBq/kg in UHS (5.5 ± 0.5). With lower doses, there were negligible reductions in SUV_mean and SUV_peak, whereas SUV_max increased steadily. Reducing the [¹⁸F]FDG activity to 1.0 MBq/kg (HS/UHS) in a LAFOV PET/CT provides diagnostic image quality without statistically significant changes in the uptake parameters. The UHS mode improves image quality, noise, and lesion detectability compared to the HS mode.