HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) CME Activity Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in JNMT Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sureshbabu, W. Articles by Mawlawi, O. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sureshbabu, W. Articles by Mawlawi, O.

PET/CT Imaging Artifacts^*

¹ Nuclear Medicine, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas;
² Imaging Physics, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the principles of PET/CT imaging and describe the artifacts associated with it. PET/CT is a new imaging modality that integrates functional (PET) and structural (CT) information into a single scanning session, allowing excellent fusion of the PET and CT images and thus improving lesion localization and interpretation accuracy. Moreover, the CT data can also be used for attenuation correction, ultimately leading to high patient throughput. These combined advantages have rendered PET/CT a preferred imaging modality over dedicated PET. Although PET/CT imaging offers many advantages, this dual-modality imaging also poses some challenges. CT-based attenuation correction can induce artifacts and quantitative errors that can affect the PET emission images. For instance, the use of contrast medium and the presence of metallic implants can be associated with focal radiotracer uptake. Furthermore, the patient’s breathing can introduce mismatches between the CT attenuation map and the PET emission data, and the discrepancy between the CT and PET fields of view can lead to truncation artifacts. After reading this article, the technologist should be able to describe the principles of PET/CT imaging, identify at least 3 types of image artifacts, and describe the differences between PET/CT artifacts of different causes: metallic implants, respiratory motion, contrast medium, and truncation.

Key Words: PET/CT; attenuation correction; artifacts

Related articles in JNMT:

Technologists News

JNMT 2006 34: 188-190. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Shammas, R. Lim, and M. Charron Pediatric FDG PET/CT: Physiologic Uptake, Normal Variants, and Benign Conditions RadioGraphics, September 1, 2009; 29(5): 1467 - 1486. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Yigla, M. Gat, J.-J. Meyer, P. J. Friedman, T. M. Maher, and J. M. Madison Vibration Response Imaging Technology in Healthy Subjects Am. J. Roentgenol., September 1, 2008; 191(3): 845 - 852. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]