Comparison of bone SUV obtained from different SPECT/CT systems

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Oncology

Background:

• Quantitative analysis in bone scintigraphy using SPECT/CT is hindered by variations in imaging acquisition and analysis methods between devices.
• Standardized uptake value (SUV) measurements can differ significantly, complicating direct comparisons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare SUV values obtained from different SPECT/CT devices.
• To evaluate the utility of using the ratio to normal bone as a method for inter-device SUV comparison.
• To analyze the correlation of SUV ratios between different SPECT/CT systems.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 27 prostate cancer patients who underwent bone scintigraphy on two different SPECT/CT devices (Symbia T16 and Symbia Intevo).
• Regions of interest were placed on five reference points: humeral head, femoral neck, ilium, L1, and L5.
• Maximum SUV (SUVmax) and average SUV (SUVave) were measured for each region.
• SUV ratios were calculated by dividing the SUV of each region by the SUVave of the humeral head.

Main Results:

• The humeral head exhibited the smallest mean and variance of SUVave on both SPECT/CT devices.
• Median SUVmax and SUVave ratios for all regions showed similar tendencies between the two devices.
• High correlation coefficients (0.93–1.19) were observed between the SUV ratios from the different devices.

Conclusions:

• Expressing quantitative SUV values as a ratio to the SUVave of the humeral head enables reliable comparison of bone accumulation across different SPECT/CT devices.
• This ratio method mitigates discrepancies arising from varying imaging acquisition and analysis protocols.
• The findings support a standardized approach for quantitative bone scintigraphy, improving diagnostic consistency.