RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fewer Angle SPECT/CT (FASpecT/CT) Blood Pool Imaging for Infection and Inflammation
JF Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
JO J. Nucl. Med. Technol.
FD Society of Nuclear Medicine
SP jnmt.120.256933
DO 10.2967/jnmt.120.256933
A1 William T. Phillips
A1 Brandon C. Gorzell
A1 Robert A. Martinez
A1 Umber A. Salman
A1 Albert W. Cooper
A1 Derek J. Stocker
A1 Chad C. Adams
YR 2020
UL http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/early/2020/12/23/jnmt.120.256933.abstract
AB Rationale: A new protocol for rapid SPECT/CT blood pool imaging consisting of fewer image angle acquisitions was evaluated for localization of focal sites of soft tissue inflammation, infection and osteomyelitis. Methods: Immediately following dynamic flow and standard planar blood pool imaging with 99mTc-MDP, fewer angle SPECT/CT (FASpecT/CT) was performed with a dual head gamma camera consisting of 6 steps over 360°, 12 total images with 30° separation between angles and 30 seconds per image requiring a total imaging time of approximately 3 minutes. Images were reconstructed using ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) iterative reconstruction. Prior to use in a patient-care setting, various FASpecT/CT acquisition protocols were modeled using a phantom to determine the minimum number of stops and stop duration required to produce a reliable image. Results: FASpecT/CT blood pool images provided excellent 3-dimensional localization of spine osteomyelitis, soft tissue infection of the foot and tendonitis of the hand and foot utilizing a 3 minute image acquisition time. FASpecT/CT acquisition protocol required 1.3-3.5 minutes including camera movement time. This was a reduction of 72-90% when compared to the time required for the standard 60 angle, 20 second SPECT/CT acquisition. Principal Conclusion: FASpecT/CT blood pool images help localize focal sites of hyperemia/inflammation which can increase exam sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, utilizing a FASpecT/CT imaging protocol decreases imaging time by up to 90%.