Ultra-low dose imaging in a standard axial field-of-view PET.
Authors
Affiliations (5)
Affiliations (5)
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Luzerner Kantonsspital, University Teaching and Research Hospital, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Swiss Medical Network, Clinique de Genolier Rte du Muids 3, Genolier, 1272, Switzerland.
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Luzerner Kantonsspital, University Teaching and Research Hospital, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland. [email protected].
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Swiss Medical Network, Clinique de Genolier Rte du Muids 3, Genolier, 1272, Switzerland. [email protected].
Abstract
Though ultra-low dose (ULD) imaging offers notable benefits, its widespread clinical adoption faces challenges. Long-axial field-of-view (LAFOV) PET/CT systems are expensive and scarce, while artificial intelligence (AI) shows great potential but remains largely limited to specific systems and is not yet widely used in clinical practice. However, integrating AI techniques and technological advancements into ULD imaging is helping bridge the gap between standard axial field-of-view (SAFOV) and LAFOV PET/CT systems. This paper offers an initial evaluation of ULD capabilities using one of the latest SAFOV PET/CT device. A patient injected with 16.4 MBq <sup>18</sup>F-FDG underwent a local protocol consisting of a dynamic acquisition (first 30 min) of the abdominal section and a static whole body 74 min post-injection on a GE Omni PET/CT. From the acquired images we computed the dosimetry and compared clinical output from kidney function and brain uptake to kidney model and normal databases, respectively. The effective PET dose for this patient was 0.27 ± 0.01 mSv and the absorbed doses were 0.56 mGy, 0.89 mGy and 0.20 mGy, respectively to the brain, heart, and kidneys. The recorded kidney concentration closely followed the kidney model, matching the increase and decrease in activity concentration over time. Normal values for the z-score were observed for the brain uptake, indicating typical brain function and activity patterns consistent with healthy individuals. The signal to noise ration obtained in this study (13.1) was comparable to the LAFOV reported values. This study shows promising capabilities of ultra-low-dose imaging in SAFOV PET devices, previously deemed unattainable with SAFOV PET imaging.