Correction for patient and organ movement in SPECT: application to exercise thallium-201 cardiac imaging

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1988 · J. Nucl. Med.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6938800

Geckle, W J; Frank, T L; Links, J M; Becker, L C

We describe a technique for correction of artifacts in exercise /sup 201/Tl single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images arising from abrupt or gradual translational movement of the heart during acquisition. The procedure involves the tracking of the center of the heart in serial projection images using an algorithm which we call diverging squares. Each projection image is then realigned in the x-y plane so that the heart center conforms to the projected position of a fixed point in space. The shifted projections are reconstructed using the normal filtered backprojection algorithm. In validation studies, the motion correction procedure successfully eliminated movement artifacts in a heart phantom. Image quality was also improved in over one-half of 36 exercise thallium patient studies. The corrected images had smoother and more continuous left ventricular walls, greater clarity of the left ventricular cavity, and reduced streak artifacts. Rest injected or redistribution images, however, were often made worse, due to reduced heart to liver activity ratios and poor tracking of the heart center. Analysis of curves of heart position versus projection angle suggests that translation of the heart is common during imaging after exercise, and results from both abrupt patient movements, and a gradual upward shift of the heart. Our motion correction technique appears to represent a promising new approach for elimination of movement artifacts and enhancement of resolution in exercise /sup 201/Tl cardiac SPECT images.

• Research Organization: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore MD (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6938800
• Journal Information: J. Nucl. Med.; (United States), Vol. 29:4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
DIAGNOSIS
HEART
SINGLE PHOTON EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
ERRORS
ALGORITHMS
EXERCISE
IMAGE PROCESSING
PATIENTS
THALLIUM 201
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BODY
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANS
PROCESSING
RADIOISOTOPES
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
THALLIUM ISOTOPES
TOMOGRAPHY
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