Advances in imaging instrumentation for nuclear cardiology.

Advances in imaging instrumentation and technology have greatly contributed to nuclear cardiology. Dedicated cardiac SPECT cameras incorporating novel, highly efficient detector, collimator, and system designs have emerged with the expansion of nuclear cardiology. Solid-state radiation detectors incorporating cadmium zinc telluride, which directly convert radiation to electrical signals and yield improved energy resolution and spatial resolution and enhanced count sensitivity geometries, are increasingly gaining favor as the detector of choice for application in dedicated cardiac SPECT systems. Additionally, hybrid imaging systems in which SPECT and PET are combined with X-ray CT are currently widely used, with PET/MRI hybrid systems having also been recently introduced. The improved quantitative SPECT/CT has the potential to measure the absolute quantification of myocardial blood flow and flow reserve. Rapid development of silicon photomultipliers leads to enhancement in PET image quality and count rates. In addition, the reduction of emission-transmission mismatch artifacts via application of accurate time-of-flight information, and cardiac motion de-blurring aided by anatomical images, are emerging techniques for further improvement of cardiac PET. This article reviews recent advances such as these in nuclear cardiology imaging instrumentation and technology, and the corresponding diagnostic benefits.

Feasibility of dynamic stress 201Tl/rest 99mTc-tetrofosmin single photon emission computed tomography for quantification of myocardial perfusion reserve in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the feasibility of dynamic stress 201Tl/rest 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT imaging using a cardiac camera equipped with cadmium-zinc-telluride detectors for the quantification of myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR). METHODS: Subjects with stable known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) who had undergone or were scheduled to undergo fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement were prospectively enrolled. Dynamic stress 201Tl/rest 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT imaging was performed using a dedicated multiple pinhole SPECT camera with cadmium-zinc-telluride detectors. MPR was derived using Corridor4DM software. RESULTS: A total of 34 subjects were enrolled (25 men and 9 women; mean age 60.4 years). FFR was measured in 65 coronary arteries with intermediate lesions. The average global MPR was 2.58 ± 1.03. Global MPR was associated with the extent of CAD (P = 0.028) and global summed stress score (r = -0.60, P < 0.001). Regional MPR showed a significant correlation with diameter stenosis (r = -0.57, P < 0.001), minimum lumen diameter (r = 0.50, P < 0.001), summed stress score (r = -0.52, P < 0.001) and FFR (r = 0.52, P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of MPR for the diagnosis of functionally significant stenosis (FFR ≤0.8) was 0.79 (P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of regional MPR were 67% and 83%, respectively, using a cut-off value of 2.0. CONCLUSION: Dynamic stress 201Tl/rest 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT imaging and quantification of MPR is feasible in patients with stable CAD. The preliminary results of this study in a small number of patients require confirmation in a larger cohort to determine their implications for bolstering the role of SPECT imaging in the diagnosis and risk prediction of CAD.

Comparison of the diagnostic accuracies of very low stress-dose with standard-dose myocardial perfusion imaging: Automated quantification of one-day, stress-first SPECT using a CZT camera.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated accurate diagnosis of reduced dose myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) using Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) technology. We compared the diagnostic performances of very low stress-dose (<2 mSv) with standard-dose stress-first, quantitative MPI using a CZT camera. METHODS: Patients without known coronary artery- disease who underwent a stress-first Tc-99 m sestamibi CZT-MPI and invasive coronary angiography (ICA), and low-risk patients without ICA were included. A stress-rest standard-dose (10/30 mCi) MPI and a low-dose (5/15 mCi) MPI were compared. Normal limits for quantification were developed from 40 (20 males) low-risk patients, and total perfusion deficit (TPD) was derived. RESULTS: 208 patients who underwent MPI and ICA, and 76 low-risk patients were included. Of these, 128 had a standard-dose MPI and 156 had a low-dose MPI. Stress-doses in low-dose and standard-dose groups were 5.9 ± 1.2 vs 10.2 ± 0.5 mCi (1.7 ± 0.3 vs 3.0 ± 0.1 mSv), respectively, P < 0.001, and stress-rest effective radiation was 6.9 ± 1.1 vs 11.7 ± 0.4 mSv, respectively, P < 0.001. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy values in the low-dose and standard-dose groups were 86.1%, 76.6%, and 81.4%; and 90.6%, 78.1%, and 84.4%, respectively, P = ns. Using TPD prone, specificity values were 84.9% and 80.3%, respectively, P = ns. CONCLUSION: One-day stress-first MPI with 50% radiation reduction and a very low stress-dose (<2 mSv) using CZT technology and quantitative supine and prone analysis provided a high diagnostic value, similar to standard-dose MPI.

Planar radionuclide angiography with a dedicated cardiac SPECT camera.

BACKGROUND: We compared a dedicated cardiac camera with a traditional system for left ventricular (LV) functional measurements using gated blood-pool imaging. METHODS: 24-frame gated planar images were obtained from 48 patients in an LAO orientation for 6M counts/view on a standard gamma camera. Immediately thereafter, 24-frame ECG-gated data were obtained for 8 minutes on a dedicated cardiac SPECT camera. The gated SPECT image volumes were iteratively reconstructed and then transferred offline. In-house software was used to reproject the images into a 24-frame gated planar format. Both the original and the reprojected gated planar datasets were analyzed using semiautomated software to determine ejection fraction (EF), ventricular volume (end diastolic volume, EDV), peak ejection rate (PER), and peak filling rate (PFR). RESULTS: The difference in EF values averaged 0.4% ± 4.4%. The correlation in EF was r ≥ 0.94 (P < .01) with a linear regression slope of 0.98. Correlation of the EDV was r ≥ 0.86 (P < .01), but the volumes from the dedicated cardiac camera were smaller (linear regression slope was 0.6). Correlation of PFR and PER were r = 0.91 and r ≥ 0.83, respectively (P < .01 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Reprojection of 24-frame gated blood-pool SPECT images is an effective means of obtaining LV functional measurements with a dedicated cardiac SPECT camera using standard 2D-planar analysis tools.

Yield of a novel ultra-low-dose computed tomography device mounted on a dedicated cardiac SPECT system in improving the accuracy of myocardial perfusion imaging and the detection of chest abnormalities.

BACKGROUND: To examine the yield of an ultra-low-dose computed tomography (CT) transmission module for attenuation-correction (AC) on a dedicated cardiac camera in evaluation of SPECT-myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in the diagnosis of CAD and for additional chest abnormalities. METHODS: The study group included 150 patients with known or suspected CAD referred for technetium sestamibi SPECT MPI. CT transmission scanning (effective radiation 0.17 mSv) was performed after each gated SPECT scan. AC and non-corrected (NC) SPECT scans were evaluated on a 5-point scale using a 17-segment model, and the sum stress score (SSS) and sum rest score (SRS) were calculated for each condition. Overall image quality, sensitivity and normalcy rate (51 patients) and processing of 28 CT slices were screened for chest findings. RESULTS: CT-based AC significantly improved image quality (P = .01). Mean SSS was 3.8 ± 5.8 with AC and 6.1 ± 7.1 with NC (P < .001); the respective SRS values were 2.6 ± 6.3 and 3.9 ± 7.7 (P < .001). The sensitivity of detecting ≥70% stenosis was 71% and 86% (P = NS) and the normalcy rate was 30% and 89% (P < .0001) in NC and AC SPECT MPI, respectively. Chest CT: lung abnormalities in 31%, aortic calcifications in 27%, and hiatus hernia in 5%. CONCLUSIONS: Ultra-low-dose CT for AC of SPECT-MPI improves image quality, diagnostic accuracy and suggests detection of chest findings.

A fast cardiac gamma camera with dynamic SPECT capabilities: design, system validation and future potential.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study is to present the Discovery NM 530c (DNM), a cardiac SPECT camera, interfacing multi-pinhole collimators with solid-state modules, aiming at slashing acquisition time without jeopardizing quality. DNM resembles PET since it enables 3-D SPECT without detector motion. We further envision how these novel capabilities may help with current and future challenges of cardiac imaging. METHODS: DNM sensitivity, spatial resolution (SR) and energy resolution (ER), count rate response, cardiac uniformity and cardiac defect contrast were measured and compared to a dedicated cardiac, dual-head standard SPECT (S-SPECT) camera. RESULTS: DNM sensitivity was more than threefold higher while SR was notably better. Significantly, SR was the same for (99m)Tc and (201)Tl. ER was improved on DNM and allowed good separation of (99m)Tc and (123)I spectral peaks. Count rate remained linear on DNM up to 612 kcps, while S-SPECT showed severe dead time limitations. Phantom studies revealed comparable uniformity and defect contrast, notwithstanding significantly shorter acquisition time for the DNM. First patient images, including dynamic SPECT, are also presented. CONCLUSION: DNM is raising the bar for expedition and upgrade of practice. It features high sensitivity as well as improved SR, temporal resolution and ER. It enables reduction of acquisition time and fast protocols. Importantly, it is potentially capable of dynamic 3-D acquisition. The new technology is potentially upgradeable and may become a milestone in the evolution of nuclear cardiology as it assumes its key role in molecular imaging of the heart.

Correction for respiration artefacts in myocardial perfusion SPECT is more effective when reconstructions supporting collimator detector response compensation are applied.

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of respiration on myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) SPECT processed with advanced algorithmic reconstructions. METHODS: SPECT studies obtained from a phantom simulation and 49 respiratory-gated,one-day 99mTc-sestamibi scans were corrected for respiratory-related cardiac movement. Three types of reconstruction algorithms: (a) filtered back projection (FBP), (b) ordered subset expectation maximization in which collimator detector response was incorporated (OSEMCDR), and (c) OSEM-CDR with additional attenuation and scatter corrections (OSEM-CDRACSC) were applied to the corrected and uncorrected sets and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. RESULTS: A discrepancy between the corrected and uncorrected bull's eye maps > or = 10% wasfound in 2%, 10%, and 20% of the FBP, OSEM-CDR, and OSEM-CDR-ACSC scans, respectively. In studies with more than 10-mm respiratory motion, the effect of motion was greater in OSEM-CDR and OSEM-CDR-ACSC datasets as compared to FBP processing.Qualitative and quantitative differences between corrected and uncorrected sets were significantly larger in OSEM-CDR and OSEM-CDR-ACSC data than in those of FBP data. CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory-related cardiac motion significantly affects MPI-SPECT reconstructed with advanced high-resolution reconstruction algorithms such as OSEM-CDR and OSEM-CDR-ACSC and thus may justifies the application of respiratory gating.

Dual "motion-frozen heart" combining respiration and contraction compensation in clinical myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging.

OBJECTIVES: This article assesses the effect of a new correction technique ("motion-frozen heart") which compensates for the previously described nonuniform blurring of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) due to respiration motion or cardiac contraction. METHODS: Respiratory and ECG-gated one-day (99m)Tc-MIBI MPI studies performed in 48 patients were evaluated. MPI scans were acquired on a gamma camera supporting list-mode functionality synchronized with an external respiratory strap and an ECG device. Respiratory and cardiac-gated bins were generated using the acquired list file. Respiratory-gated bins were corrected for respiratory motion, followed by correction for cardiac contraction motion. In addition, cardiac contraction correction was applied to cardiac-gated bins uncorrected for respiratory motion. Bullseye maps were generated for uncorrected MPI studies, as well as following correction for respiratory motion, cardiac contraction, and both. The mean difference between each of the correction vs the uncorrected bullseye was calculated. Visual assessment of image quality, severity, and extent of the uncorrected perfusion images and following each of the corrections was performed. RESULTS: Average motion due respiration was 7.0 +/- 2.6 mm in the axial plane. The maximal score difference in segmental uptake greater than 10% was found in 2%, 15%, and 25% following respiratory correction, contraction correction, and dual corrections, respectively. Percent of scans classified with an excellent image quality was 13%, 21%, 42%, and 52% for the uncorrected images and following respiratory correction, contraction correction, and dual corrections, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A technique that compensates for motion of the heart due to respiration and cardiac contraction in MPI-SPECT was evaluated. Compensating for both respiration and cardiac contraction had the greatest effect on perfusion images resulting in significantly improved image quality.

Correction of heart motion due to respiration in clinical myocardial perfusion SPECT scans using respiratory gating.

UNLABELLED: Several studies have described nonuniform blurring of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) due to respiration. This article describes a technique for correcting the respiration effect and assesses its effectiveness in clinical studies. METHODS: Simulated phantoms, physical phantoms, and patient scans were used in this study. A heart phantom, which oscillated back and forth, was used to simulate respiration. The motion was measured on a gamma-camera supporting list-mode functionality synchronized with an external respiratory strap or resistor sensor. Eight clinical scans were performed using a 1-d (99m)Tc-sestamibi protocol while recording the respiratory signal. The list-mode capability along with the strap or sensor signals was used to generate respiratory bin projection sets. A segmentation process was used to detect the shift between the respiratory bins. This shift was further projected to the acquired projection images for correction of the respiratory motion. The process was applied to the phantom and patient studies, and the rate of success of the correction was assessed using the conventional bull's eye maps. RESULTS: The algorithm provided a good correction for the phantom studies. The shift after the correction, measured by a fitted ellipsoid, was <1 mm in the axial direction. The average motion due to respiration in the clinical studies was 9.1 mm in the axial direction. The average shift between the respiratory phases was reduced to 0.5 mm after correction. The maximal change in the bull's eye map for the clinical scans after the correction was 6%, with a mean of 3.75%. The postcorrection clinical summed perfusion images were more uniform, consistent, and, for some patients, clinically significant when compared with the images before correction for respiration. CONCLUSION: Myocardial motion generated by respiration during MPI SPECT affects perfusion image quality and accuracy. Motion introduced by respiration can be corrected using the proposed method. The degree of correction depends on the patient respiratory pattern and can be of clinical significance in certain cases.

Dynamic 3D analysis of myocardial sympathetic innervation: an experimental study using 123I-MIBG and a CZT camera.

UNLABELLED: Data on the in vivo myocardial kinetics of (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine ((123)I-MIBG) are scarce and have always been obtained using planar acquisitions. To clarify the normal kinetics of (123)I-MIBG in vivo over time, we designed an experimental protocol using a 3-dimensional (3D) dynamic approach with a cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) camera. METHODS: We studied 6 anesthetized pigs (mean body weight, 37 ± 4 kg). Left ventricular myocardial perfusion and sympathetic innervation were assessed using (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin (26 ± 6 MBq), (123)I-MIBG (54 ± 14 MBq), and a CZT camera. A normal perfusion/function match on gated SPECT was the inclusion criterion. A dynamic acquisition in list mode started simultaneously with the bolus injection of (123)I-MIBG, and data were collected every 5 min for the first 20 min and then at acquisition steps of 30, 60, 90, and 120 min. Each step was reconstructed using dedicate software and reframed (60 s/frame). On the reconstructed transaxial slice that best showed the left ventricular cavity, regions of interest were drawn to obtain myocardial and blood pool activities. Myocardial time-activity curves were generated by interpolating data between contiguous acquisition steps, corrected for radiotracer decay and injected dose, and fitted to a bicompartmental model. Time to myocardial maximum signal intensity (MSI), MSI value, radiotracer retention index (RI, myocardial activity/blood pool integral), and washout rate were calculated. The mediastinal signal was measured and fitted to a linear model. RESULTS: The myocardial MSI of (123)I-MIBG was reached within 5.57 ± 4.23 min (range, 2-12 min). The mean MSI was 0.426% ± 0.092%. Myocardial RI decreased over time and reached point zero at 176 ± 31 min (range, 140-229 min). The ratio between myocardial and mediastinal signal at 15 and 125 min and extrapolated at 176 and 4 h was 5.45% ± 0.61%, 4.33% ± 1.23% (not statistically significant vs. 15 min), 3.95% ± 1.46% (P < 0.03 vs. 125 min), and 3.63% ± 1.64% (P < 0.03 vs. 176 min), respectively. Mean global washout rate at 125 min was 15% ± 14% (range, 0%-34%), and extrapolated data at 176 min and 4 h were 18% ± 18% (range, 0.49%-45%) and 25% ± 23% (range, 1.7%-56.2%; not statistically significant vs. 176 min), respectively. CONCLUSION: 3D dynamic analysis of (123)I-MIBG suggests that myocardial peak uptake is reached more quickly than previously described. Myocardial RI decreases over time and, on average, is null about 3 h after injection. The combination of an early peak and variations in delayed myocardial uptake could result in a wide physiologic range of washout rates. Mediastinal activity appears to be constant over time and significantly lower than previously described in planar studies, resulting in a higher heart-to-mediastinum ratio.