3D-OSEM and FP-CIT SPECT quantification: benefit for studies with a high radius of rotation?

ObjectivesDopamine transporter imaging with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a valuable tool for both clinical routine and research studies. Recently, it was found that the image quality could be improved by introduction of the three-dimensional ordered subset expectation maximization (3D-OSEM) reconstruction algorithm, which provides resolution recovery. The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the potential benefits of 3D-OSEM in comparison with 2D-OSEM under critical imaging conditions, for example, scans with a high radius of rotation. Materials and methodsMonte Carlo simulation scans of a digital brain phantom with various disease states and different radii of rotation ranging from 13 to 30 cm were reconstructed with both 2D-OSEM and 3D-OSEM algorithms. Specific striatal binding and putamen-to-caudate ratios were determined and compared with true values in the phantom. ResultsThe percentage recovery of true striatal binding was similar between both reconstruction algorithms at the minimum rotational radius; however, at the maximum rotational radius, it decreased from 53 to 43% for 3D-OSEM and from 52 to 26% for 2D-OSEM. 3D-OSEM matched the true putamen-to-caudate ratios more closely than did 2D-OSEM in scans with high SPECT rotation radii. Conclusion3D-OSEM offers a promising image quality gain. It outperforms 2D-OSEM, particularly in studies with limited resolutions (such as scans acquired with a high radius of rotation) but does not improve the accuracy of the putamen-to-caudate ratios. Whether the benefits of better recovery in studies with higher radii of rotation could potentially increase the diagnostic power of dopamine transporter SPECT in patients with borderline striatal radiotracer binding, however, needs to be further examined.

[1]  P B Hoffer,et al.  Computerized three-dimensional segmented human anatomy. , 1994, Medical physics.

[2]  Joachim Hornegger,et al.  Isotropic reconstruction of SPECT data using OSEM3D: correlation with CT. , 2006, Academic radiology.

[3]  A. Graybiel,et al.  The substantia nigra of the human brain. II. Patterns of loss of dopamine-containing neurons in Parkinson's disease. , 1999, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[4]  S. Kish,et al.  Uneven pattern of dopamine loss in the striatum of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Pathophysiologic and clinical implications. , 1988, The New England journal of medicine.

[5]  Jan Booij,et al.  The clinical benefit of imaging striatal dopamine transporters with [123I]FP-CIT SPET in differentiating patients with presynaptic parkinsonism from those with other forms of parkinsonism , 2001, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

[6]  Preliminary monte carlo study of 18F-FDG SPECT imaging with LaBr3:Ce Crystal-based Gamma Cameras , 2010, 2010 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology.

[7]  G. Zettinig,et al.  Measuring the rate of progression of Parkinson's disease over a 5‐year period with β‐CIT SPECT , 2003, Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society.

[8]  John S Fleming,et al.  The specific uptake size index for quantifying radiopharmaceutical uptake. , 2004, Physics in medicine and biology.

[9]  Andy Adler,et al.  A neural network image reconstruction technique for electrical impedance tomography , 1994, IEEE Trans. Medical Imaging.

[10]  A. Lees,et al.  Ageing and Parkinson's disease: substantia nigra regional selectivity. , 1991, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[11]  Wolfgang A. Weber,et al.  Image Quality and Data Quantification in Dopamine Transporter SPECT: Advantage of 3-Dimensional OSEM Reconstruction? , 2012, Clinical nuclear medicine.

[12]  W. Koch,et al.  Loss of dopamine transporter binding in Parkinson's disease follows a single exponential rather than linear decline. , 2004, Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine.

[13]  O. Pogarell,et al.  Striatal dopamine transporter binding in early to moderately advanced Parkinson's disease: monitoring of disease progression over 2 years , 2001, Nuclear medicine communications.

[14]  M. Ljungberg,et al.  SIMIND Monte Carlo simulation of a single photon emission CT , 2010, Journal of medical physics.

[15]  Mona Mustafa,et al.  Influence of movement on FP-CIT SPECT quantification: a Monte Carlo based simulation , 2007, Nuclear medicine communications.

[16]  A. Brück,et al.  Simple Ratio Analysis of 18F-Fluorodopa Uptake in Striatal Subregions Separates Patients with Early Parkinson Disease from Healthy Controls , 2009, Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

[17]  Robert B. Innis,et al.  Iodine-123-β-CIT and Iodine-123-FPCIT SPECT Measurement of Dopamine Transporters in Healthy Subjects and Parkinson's Patients , 1998 .

[18]  Werner Poewe,et al.  Role of dopamine transporter imaging in investigation of parkinsonian syndromes in routine clinical practice , 2003, Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society.

[19]  S Ted Treves,et al.  Pediatric 99mTc-MDP bone SPECT with ordered subset expectation maximization iterative reconstruction with isotropic 3D resolution recovery. , 2010, Radiology.

[20]  J. Seibyl,et al.  Iodine-123-beta-CIT and iodine-123-FPCIT SPECT measurement of dopamine transporters in healthy subjects and Parkinson's patients. , 1998, Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine.

[21]  S Ted Treves,et al.  Pediatric 99mTc-DMSA SPECT performed by using iterative reconstruction with isotropic resolution recovery: improved image quality and reduced radiopharmaceutical activity. , 2009, Radiology.

[22]  Michael Ljungberg,et al.  Monte Carlo Calculation in Nuclear Medicine: Applications in Diagnostic Imaging , 2012 .

[23]  J. Unterrainer,et al.  Measuring the progression of idiopathic Parkinson's disease with [123I] β-CIT SPECT , 2000, Journal of Neural Transmission.

[24]  Walter Koch,et al.  Cross-camera comparison of SPECT measurements of a 3-D anthropomorphic basal ganglia phantom , 2005, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

[25]  W. Oertel,et al.  Role of dopamine transporter SPECT for the practitioner and the general neurologist , 2003, Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society.

[27]  Anne Larsson,et al.  Rotation Radius Dependence of 123I-FP-CIT and 123I-IBZM SPECT Uptake Ratios: A Monte Carlo Study , 2012, The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology.

[28]  J. Darcourt,et al.  Automatic semi-quantification of [123I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy volunteers using BasGan version 2: results from the ENC-DAT database , 2013, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

[29]  Michael Ljungberg,et al.  The SIMIND Monte Carlo program , 2012 .

[30]  Willibald Gerschlager,et al.  Progression of dopaminergic degeneration in Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism: A longitudinal β‐CIT SPECT study , 2002, Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society.

[31]  M. Ljungberg,et al.  A new collimator simulation in SIMIND based on the Delta-Scattering technique , 2004, IEEE Symposium Conference Record Nuclear Science 2004..

[32]  W. Koch,et al.  Equipment-independent reference values for dopamine transporter imaging with 123I-FP-CIT , 2007, Nuklearmedizin.

[33]  S. Gacinovic,et al.  Accurate differentiation of parkinsonism and essential tremor using visual assessment of [123I]‐FP‐CIT SPECT imaging: The [123I]‐FP‐CIT study group , 2000, Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society.

[34]  K. Ogawa,et al.  A practical method for position-dependent Compton-scatter correction in single photon emission CT. , 1991, IEEE transactions on medical imaging.

[35]  D. Grosset,et al.  Role of dopamine transporter imaging in the diagnosis of atypical tremor disorders , 2003, Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society.

[36]  H. Malcolm Hudson,et al.  Accelerated image reconstruction using ordered subsets of projection data , 1994, IEEE Trans. Medical Imaging.

[37]  Perry E Radau,et al.  Clinical testing of an optimized software solution for an automated, observer-independent evaluation of dopamine transporter SPECT studies. , 2005, Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine.

[38]  John S. Fleming,et al.  Quantification of [123I]FP-CIT SPECT brain images: an accurate technique for measurement of the specific binding ratio , 2006, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

[39]  Dopamine transporter brain imaging to assess the effects of pramipexole vs levodopa on Parkinson disease progression. , 2002, JAMA.

[40]  A Pupi,et al.  European Association of Nuclear Medicine procedure guidelines for brain neurotransmission SPET using (123)I-labelled dopamine D(2) transporter ligands. , 2002, European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.

[41]  Perry E. Radau,et al.  Does combined imaging of the pre- and postsynaptic dopaminergic system increase the diagnostic accuracy in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonism? , 2007, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.