RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Effect of an Asymmetric Energy Window on Bone Scintigraphy Image Quality
JF Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
JO J. Nucl. Med. Technol.
FD Society of Nuclear Medicine
SP 46
OP 50
DO 10.2967/jnmt.119.233577
VO 48
IS 1
A1 Joana do Mar F. Machado
A1 Susan Doshi
A1 Ruth Smith
A1 Martyn Evans
A1 Richard N.J. Graham
A1 Stewart Redman
A1 David Little
YR 2020
UL http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/48/1/46.abstract
AB Bone scintigraphy is one of the most common nuclear medicine tests. Previous work investigated the effectiveness of an asymmetric window (ASW) for planar bone scintigraphy using simulation and phantom data. Phantom studies concluded that the ASW improved both the resolution and the contrast-to-noise ratio when imaging objects with high scatter. The aim of this study was to confirm this improvement increased image quality in patients. This study also investigated whether the differences between a symmetric window (SW) and an ASW depended on body mass index. Methods: Fifty-eight patients had 2 scans: a standard scan using an SW of 140 keV ± 10% and a scan using an ASW of 140 keV + 10% and − 7.5%. Three readers independently compared the 2 image sets and scored them using a 5-score scale (ranging from 1 = ASW better [clinically important] to 5 = SW better [clinically important]). Scores from all radiologists were pooled and analyzed statistically. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In 93 cases (53%), the readers scored the ASW images better than the SW images. In 5 cases (3%), the ASW images were preferred, with the difference considered clinically important; there were no cases in which the SW was similarly preferred. For the sign test, we determined whether the total of 93 scores of 1 or 2 (ASW preferred) was significantly different from the 15 scores of 4 or 5 (SW preferred). The P value was less than 0.00001, demonstrating that the difference was significant. Conclusion: In patients undergoing bone scintigraphy, ASW provided an improvement in image quality that in some cases was judged clinically important.