Image-based Modeling of PSF Deformation with Application to Limited Angle PET Data.

The point-spread-functions (PSFs) of reconstructed images can be deformed due to detector effects such as resolution blurring and parallax error, data acquisition geometry such as insufficient sampling or limited angular coverage in dual-panel PET systems, or reconstruction imperfections/simplifications. PSF deformation decreases quantitative accuracy and its spatial variation lowers consistency of lesion uptake measurement across the imaging field-of-view (FOV). This can be a significant problem with dual panel PET systems even when using TOF data and image reconstruction models of the detector and data acquisition process. To correct for the spatially variant reconstructed PSF distortions we propose to use an image-based resolution model (IRM) that includes such image PSF deformation effects. Originally the IRM was mostly used for approximating data resolution effects of standard PET systems with full angular coverage in a computationally efficient way, but recently it was also used to mitigate effects of simplified geometric projectors. Our work goes beyond this by including into the IRM reconstruction imperfections caused by combination of the limited angle, parallax errors, and any other (residual) deformation effects and testing it for challenging dual panel data with strongly asymmetric and variable PSF deformations. We applied and tested these concepts using simulated data based on our design for a dedicated breast imaging geometry (B-PET) consisting of dual-panel, time-of-flight (TOF) detectors. We compared two image-based resolution models; i) a simple spatially invariant approximation to PSF deformation, which captures only the general PSF shape through an elongated 3D Gaussian function, and ii) a spatially variant model using a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to more accurately capture the asymmetric PSF shape in images reconstructed from data acquired with the B-PET scanner geometry. Results demonstrate that while both IRMs decrease the overall uptake bias in the reconstructed image, the second one with the spatially variant and accurate PSF shape model is also able to ameliorate the spatially variant deformation effects to provide consistent uptake results independent of the lesion location within the FOV.

2D IMRT QA passing rate dependency on coronal plane.

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) delivery involves a complex series of beam angles and multileaf collimator (MLC) arrangements, requiring quality assurance to be performed to validate delivery before treatment. The purpose of this work is to investigate the effect of dose gradient on quality assurance (QA) passing rate. Many (n = 40) IMRT plans were delivered and measured using a 2D planar array of ion chambers; additionally, eleven plans were measured at several coronal planes. For each measurement, dose gradient was assessed using a number of metrics and passing rate assessed at both 3%/3 mm and 3%/2 mm criteria. The passing rates of the various IMRT plans were shown to be generally correlated to gradient, with an average distance correlation of 0.54 ± 0.04 for the lateral dose gradient. The passing rate for an individual plan was shown to vary with coronal slice, though the correlation to dose gradient was not predictable. Even though the passing rate was strongly related to dose gradient for many of the plans, the signs of the correlations were not always negative, as hypothesized. The coronal plane at which QA is performed affects passing rate, though dose gradient may not easily be used to predict slices at which passing rate is higher.

Radiodynamic therapy using 15-MV radiation combined with 5-aminolevulinic acid and carbamide peroxide for prostate cancer in vivo.

Photodynamic therapy has been clinically proven to be effective, but its effect is limited to relatively shallow tumors because of its use of visible light. Radiodynamic therapy (RDT) has therefore been investigated as a means to treat deep-seated tumors. In this study, the treatment effect of a novel form of RDT consisting of radiation combined with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and carbamide peroxide was investigated using a mouse model. Male nude mice were injected bilaterally and subcutaneously with human prostate cancer (PC-3) cells and randomized into 8 treatment groups, consisting of various combinations of 15-MV radiotherapy (RT), 5-ALA, and carbamide peroxide. The treatment effect of a single fraction of treatment was measured by calculating tumor growth delay, monitored using weekly MR scans. The ability of the drugs to be delivered to the tumors was qualitatively measured using 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans. RDT was shown to significantly delay the tumor growth for the mouse model and tumor cell line investigated in this work. Tumors treated with RDT showed a decrease in tumor growth of 24 ± 9% and 21 ± 8% at one and two weeks post-treatment, respectively. Peroxide and 5-ALA did not contribute significantly to tumor growth delay when administered alone or separately with RT. Blood perfusion was shown to be able to deliver agents to the tumors investigated in this work, although uptake of 18 F-FDG was shown to be non-uniform.

Validation of phantom-based harmonization for patient harmonization.

PURPOSE: To improve the precision of multicenter clinical trials, several efforts are underway to determine scanner-specific parameters for harmonization using standardized phantom measurements. The goal of this study was to test the correspondence between quantification in phantom and patient images and validate the use of phantoms for harmonization of patient images. METHODS: The National Electrical Manufacturers' Association image quality phantom with hot spheres was scanned on two time-of-flight PET scanners. Whole-body [18 F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET scans were acquired of subjects on the same systems. List-mode events from spheres (diam.: 10-28 mm) measured in air on each scanner were embedded into the phantom and subject list-mode data from each scanner to create lesions with known uptake with respect to the local background in the phantom and each subject's liver and lung regions, as a proxy to characterize true lesion quantification. Images were analyzed using the contrast recovery coefficient (CRC) typically used in phantom studies and serving as a surrogate for the standardized uptake value used clinically. Postreconstruction filtering (resolution recovery and Gaussian smoothing) was applied to determine if the effect on the phantom images translates equivalently to subject images. Three postfiltering strategies were selected to harmonize the CRCmean or CRCmax values between the two scanners based on the phantom measurements and then applied to the subject images. RESULTS: Both the average CRCmean and CRCmax values for lesions embedded in the lung and liver in four subjects (BMI range 25-38) agreed to within 5% with the CRC values for lesions embedded in the phantom for all lesion sizes. In addition, the relative changes in CRCmean and CRCmax resulting from the application of the postfilters on the subject and phantom images were consistent within measurement uncertainty. Further, the root mean squared percent difference (RMSpd ) between CRC values on the two scanners calculated over the three sphere sizes was significantly reduced in the subjects using postfiltering strategies chosen to harmonize CRCmean or CRCmax based on phantom measurements: RMSpd of the CRCmean values in subjects was reduced from 36% to < 8% after harmonizing CRCmean , while RMSpd for CRCmax was reduced from ~33% to < 6% after harmonizing CRCmax with a different strategy. However, with this strategy designed to harmonize CRCmax , the RMSpd for CRCmean only improved to ~14% in subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The consistency of the CRC measurements between the phantom and subject data demonstrates that harmonization strategies defined with phantom studies track well to patient images. However, quantitative agreement between different scanners as represented by the RMSpd depends on the metric chosen for harmonization.