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Combined correction of recovery effect and motion blur for SUV quantification of solitary pulmonary nodules in FDG PET/CT

  • Nuclear Medicine
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Abstract

Objective

We evaluate a fully data-driven method for the combined recovery and motion blur correction of small solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) in F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT).

Methods

The SPN was segmented in the low-dose CT using a variable Hounsfield threshold and morphological constraints. The combined effect of limited spatial resolution and motion blur in the SPN’s PET image was then modelled by an effective Gaussian point-spread function (psf). Both isotropic and non-isotropic psfs were used. To validate the method, PET/CT measurements of the NEMA/IEC spheres phantom were performed. The method was applied to 50 unselected SPNs ≤30 mm from routine patient care.

Results

Recovery of standardised uptake value (SUV) in the phantom image was significantly improved by combined recovery and motion blur correction compared with recovery-only correction, particularly with the non-isotropic model (residual average error 10%). In the patient images, automated segmentation and fit of the effective psf worked properly in all cases. Volume-equivalent diameter ranged from 4.9 to 27.8 mm. Uncorrected maximum SUV ranged from 0.9 to 13.3. Compared with recovery-only correction, combined correction with the non-isotropic model resulted in a ‘relevant’ (≥30%) SUV increase in 47 SPNs (94%).

Conclusions

Correction of both recovery and motion blur is mandatory for accurate SUV quantification of SPNs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medicine Charité Berlin, Campus Charité Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany

    Ivayla Apostolova, Michail Plotkin, Winfried Brenner & Ralph Buchert

  2. Philips Research Europe, Hamburg & Aachen, Germany

    Rafael Wiemker, Timo Paulus & Sven Kabus

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Thomas Dreilich, Janos Mester, Ralph Buchert & Susanne Klutmann

  4. PET Center, Institute of Radiopharmacy, Research Center Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany

    Jörg van den Hoff

Authors
  1. Ivayla Apostolova
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  2. Rafael Wiemker
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  3. Timo Paulus
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  4. Sven Kabus
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  5. Thomas Dreilich
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  6. Jörg van den Hoff
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  7. Michail Plotkin
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  8. Janos Mester
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  9. Winfried Brenner
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  10. Ralph Buchert
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  11. Susanne Klutmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ivayla Apostolova.

Additional information

I. Apostolova and R. Wiemker contributed equally to this study

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Apostolova, I., Wiemker, R., Paulus, T. et al. Combined correction of recovery effect and motion blur for SUV quantification of solitary pulmonary nodules in FDG PET/CT. Eur Radiol 20, 1868–1877 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-010-1747-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-010-1747-1

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