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Title: PET optimization for improved assessment and accurate quantification of {sup 90}Y-microsphere biodistribution after radioembolization

Abstract

Purpose: {sup 90}Y-microspheres are widely used for the radioembolization of metastatic liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma and there is a growing interest for imaging {sup 90}Y-microspheres with PET. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of a current generation PET/CT scanner for {sup 90}Y imaging and to optimize the PET protocol to improve the assessment and the quantification of {sup 90}Y-microsphere biodistribution after radioembolization. Methods: Data were acquired on a Biograph mCT-TrueV scanner with time of flight (TOF) and point spread function (PSF) modeling. Spatial resolution was measured with a{sup 90}Y point source. Sensitivity was evaluated using the NEMA 70 cm line source filled with {sup 90}Y. To evaluate the count rate performance, {sup 90}Y vials with activity ranging from 3.64 to 0.035 GBq were measured in the center of the field of view (CFOV). The energy spectrum was evaluated. Image quality with different reconstructions was studied using the Jaszczak phantom containing six hollow spheres (diameters: 31.3, 28.1, 21.8, 16.1, 13.3, and 10.5 mm), filled with a 207 kBq/ml {sup 90}Y concentration and a 5:1 sphere-to-background ratio. Acquisition time was adjusted to simulate the quality of a realistic clinical PET acquisition of a patient treated with SIR-Spheres{supmore » ®}. The developed methodology was applied to ten patients after SIR-Spheres{sup ®} treatment acquiring a 10 min per bed PET. Results: The energy spectrum showed the{sup 90}Y bremsstrahlung radiation. The {sup 90}Y transverse resolution, with filtered backprojection reconstruction, was 4.5 mm in the CFOV and degraded to 5.0 mm at 10 cm off-axis. {sup 90}Y absolute sensitivity was 0.40 kcps/MBq in the center of the field of view. Tendency of true and random rates as a function of the {sup 90}Y activity could be accurately described using linear and quadratic models, respectively. Phantom studies demonstrated that, due to low count statistics in {sup 90}Y PET acquisition, the optimal parameters for the standard OSEM+PSF reconstruction were only one iteration and a postreconstruction filter of 6 mm FWHM, for both TOF and non-TOF reconstructions. Moreover, when TOF is included, the signal to noise ratio increased and visibility achieved 100% by the experienced observers and 93.3% according to the Rose model of statistical detection. In 50% of patients, TOF allowed the visualization of {sup 90}Y radioembolized lesions not seen without TOF, confirming phantom results. Liver activity was accurately quantified, with no significant differences between reconstructed and actual delivered activity to the whole-liver [mean relative difference (10.2 ± 14.7)%]. Conclusions: Qualitative and quantitative{sup 90}Y PET imaging improved with the introduction of TOF in a PET/CT scanner, thereby allowing the visualization of microsphere deposition in lesions not visible in non-TOF images. This technique accurately quantifies the total activity delivered to the liver during radioembolization with {sup 90}Y-microspheres and allows dose estimation.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Nuclear Medicine Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, 36, Pío XII Avenue, 31008 Pamplona (Spain)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22409556
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Medical Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 41; Journal Issue: 9; Other Information: (c) 2014 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0094-2405
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; BREMSSTRAHLUNG; CONCENTRATION RATIO; ENERGY SPECTRA; HEPATOMAS; LIVER; MICROSPHERES; OPTIMIZATION; PATIENTS; PHANTOMS; POSITRON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY; RADIOEMBOLIZATION; SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO; SPATIAL RESOLUTION; TIME-OF-FLIGHT METHOD; YTTRIUM 90

Citation Formats

Martí-Climent, Josep M., E-mail: jmmartic@unav.es, Prieto, Elena, Elosúa, César, Rodríguez-Fraile, Macarena, Domínguez-Prado, Inés, Vigil, Carmen, García-Velloso, María J., Arbizu, Javier, Peñuelas, Iván, and Richter, José A. PET optimization for improved assessment and accurate quantification of {sup 90}Y-microsphere biodistribution after radioembolization. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1118/1.4892383.
Martí-Climent, Josep M., E-mail: jmmartic@unav.es, Prieto, Elena, Elosúa, César, Rodríguez-Fraile, Macarena, Domínguez-Prado, Inés, Vigil, Carmen, García-Velloso, María J., Arbizu, Javier, Peñuelas, Iván, & Richter, José A. PET optimization for improved assessment and accurate quantification of {sup 90}Y-microsphere biodistribution after radioembolization. United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4892383
Martí-Climent, Josep M., E-mail: jmmartic@unav.es, Prieto, Elena, Elosúa, César, Rodríguez-Fraile, Macarena, Domínguez-Prado, Inés, Vigil, Carmen, García-Velloso, María J., Arbizu, Javier, Peñuelas, Iván, and Richter, José A. 2014. "PET optimization for improved assessment and accurate quantification of {sup 90}Y-microsphere biodistribution after radioembolization". United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4892383.
@article{osti_22409556,
title = {PET optimization for improved assessment and accurate quantification of {sup 90}Y-microsphere biodistribution after radioembolization},
author = {Martí-Climent, Josep M., E-mail: jmmartic@unav.es and Prieto, Elena and Elosúa, César and Rodríguez-Fraile, Macarena and Domínguez-Prado, Inés and Vigil, Carmen and García-Velloso, María J. and Arbizu, Javier and Peñuelas, Iván and Richter, José A.},
abstractNote = {Purpose: {sup 90}Y-microspheres are widely used for the radioembolization of metastatic liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma and there is a growing interest for imaging {sup 90}Y-microspheres with PET. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of a current generation PET/CT scanner for {sup 90}Y imaging and to optimize the PET protocol to improve the assessment and the quantification of {sup 90}Y-microsphere biodistribution after radioembolization. Methods: Data were acquired on a Biograph mCT-TrueV scanner with time of flight (TOF) and point spread function (PSF) modeling. Spatial resolution was measured with a{sup 90}Y point source. Sensitivity was evaluated using the NEMA 70 cm line source filled with {sup 90}Y. To evaluate the count rate performance, {sup 90}Y vials with activity ranging from 3.64 to 0.035 GBq were measured in the center of the field of view (CFOV). The energy spectrum was evaluated. Image quality with different reconstructions was studied using the Jaszczak phantom containing six hollow spheres (diameters: 31.3, 28.1, 21.8, 16.1, 13.3, and 10.5 mm), filled with a 207 kBq/ml {sup 90}Y concentration and a 5:1 sphere-to-background ratio. Acquisition time was adjusted to simulate the quality of a realistic clinical PET acquisition of a patient treated with SIR-Spheres{sup ®}. The developed methodology was applied to ten patients after SIR-Spheres{sup ®} treatment acquiring a 10 min per bed PET. Results: The energy spectrum showed the{sup 90}Y bremsstrahlung radiation. The {sup 90}Y transverse resolution, with filtered backprojection reconstruction, was 4.5 mm in the CFOV and degraded to 5.0 mm at 10 cm off-axis. {sup 90}Y absolute sensitivity was 0.40 kcps/MBq in the center of the field of view. Tendency of true and random rates as a function of the {sup 90}Y activity could be accurately described using linear and quadratic models, respectively. Phantom studies demonstrated that, due to low count statistics in {sup 90}Y PET acquisition, the optimal parameters for the standard OSEM+PSF reconstruction were only one iteration and a postreconstruction filter of 6 mm FWHM, for both TOF and non-TOF reconstructions. Moreover, when TOF is included, the signal to noise ratio increased and visibility achieved 100% by the experienced observers and 93.3% according to the Rose model of statistical detection. In 50% of patients, TOF allowed the visualization of {sup 90}Y radioembolized lesions not seen without TOF, confirming phantom results. Liver activity was accurately quantified, with no significant differences between reconstructed and actual delivered activity to the whole-liver [mean relative difference (10.2 ± 14.7)%]. Conclusions: Qualitative and quantitative{sup 90}Y PET imaging improved with the introduction of TOF in a PET/CT scanner, thereby allowing the visualization of microsphere deposition in lesions not visible in non-TOF images. This technique accurately quantifies the total activity delivered to the liver during radioembolization with {sup 90}Y-microspheres and allows dose estimation.},
doi = {10.1118/1.4892383},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22409556}, journal = {Medical Physics},
issn = {0094-2405},
number = 9,
volume = 41,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Mon Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}