The Impact of Attenuation Correction on Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography and Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Image Quality: A Phantom Study
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 12, 2026

Construction of a Preclinical Multimodality Phantom Using Tissue-mimicking Materials for Quality Assurance in Tumor Size Measurement
Published on: July 29, 2013
Yagmur Idil Ulusoy1, Nami Yeyin2, Mustafa Demir2
1Department of Medical Imaging Techniques, Vocational School of Health Services, Istanbul Bilgi University, İstanbul, Turkey.
Objective:
The quality of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and PET/magnetic resonance (MR) images is a critical factor affecting the diagnostic reliability of clinical studies. An image quality (IQ) phantom is used to evaluate PET IQ. This study aims to acquire PET IQ phantom images on PET/CT and PET/MR systems and investigate the effects of attenuation correction on IQ.
Materials And Methods:
The PET IQ phantom was filled with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose to achieve a lesion/background ratio of 4/1. The phantom was imaged separately on two different PET/CT scanners and one PET/MR scanner. Region of interest (ROIs) was drawn on both raw and attenuation-corrected images. Contrast and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) were calculated from ROI counts.
Results:
For the smallest lesion with a diameter of 10 mm without attenuation correction, the contrast values in PET/CT and PET/MR images were found to be 1.32, 1.68, and 1.76, respectively. In attenuation-corrected images of the same lesion, the contrast values were 1.55, 1.89, and 2.22, respectively. The CNR values for the attenuation-corrected 10 cm lesion were 13.92, 12.05, and 13.36, respectively.
Conclusion:
Attenuation correction significantly improved IQ, with attenuation-corrected images demonstrating higher contrast and CNR values.
More Related Videos
06:53Management of Respiratory Motion Artefacts in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography using an Amplitude-Based Optimal Respiratory Gating Algorithm
Published on: July 23, 2020
07:57Positron Emission Tomography-based Dose Painting Radiation Therapy in a Glioblastoma Rat Model using the Small Animal Radiation Research Platform
Published on: March 24, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Positron Emission Tomography
One of the main requirements of a PET scan is a positron-emitting radioisotope, which is produced in a cyclotron and then attached to a substance used by the part of the body...
Imaging Studies II: Positron Emission Tomography and Scintigraphy
Fundamental Principles of PET
Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
Imaging Studies III: Computed Tomography