Short breath-hold PET imaging in hypermetabolic pulmonary nodules

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) is crucial for evaluating hypermetabolic lung nodules.
• Optimizing scan duration is essential for improving patient experience and workflow efficiency.
• Breath-hold techniques can enhance image quality in PET/CT but require careful parameter selection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of varying breath-hold durations (15, 18, and 20 seconds) on PET/CT image quality.
• To assess the effects of these breath-hold times on quantitative metabolic parameters of hypermetabolic lung nodules.
• To determine the clinical feasibility of short-duration breath-hold PET imaging for lung nodules.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of PET/CT imaging across free-breathing and three breath-hold durations (15s, 18s, 20s).
• Quantitative analysis of image quality metrics: tumor-to-background ratio, signal-to-noise ratio, contrast-to-noise ratio.
• Assessment of metabolic parameters: SUVmax, mean SUV, metabolic tumor volume, total lesion glycolysis.

Main Results:

• All breath-hold durations significantly improved tumor-to-background ratio compared to free-breathing.
• The 18-second breath-hold group showed image quality comparable to the 20-second group.
• Metabolic parameters were consistently measured across breath-hold groups, with no significant differences.
• The 18-second protocol demonstrated superior signal-to-noise ratio compared to the 15-second protocol.

Conclusions:

• An 18-second breath-hold protocol is a viable alternative to a 20-second acquisition for PET/CT.
• This shorter protocol maintains diagnostic image quality and metabolic data accuracy.
• The 18-second protocol offers enhanced efficiency and patient tolerability, suitable for routine clinical practice.