Standardization of dual time point [18F] 2-Deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose-positron emission tomography performed with different positron emission tomography scanners using partial volume correction

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the possibility of using the partial volume correction (PVC) to standardize dual time point [18F] 2-Deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) studies with two PET scanners. Materials and methods: One hundred and thirteen lesions from 96 breast cancer patients were examined. FDG-PET scans were performed at both 60 and 120 minutes after FDG injection using different PET scanners. The maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmaxs) were measured at both time points (SUVmax1 and SUVmax2) and the percent change in the SUVmax (∆%SUVmax) between the two time points was calculated. PVC was performed using a look-up table generated based on the recovery coefficient curves and point spread function of each scanner. Results: The SUVmax1, the SUVmax2, and the ∆%SUVmax were 5.67±4.45, 5.15±4.29, and -9.30%±20.54%, respectively. After PVC, all parameters significantly increased to 10.44±5.55, 10.23±5.77, and -1.15%±21.66%, respectively. In addition, the number of lesions with a positive ∆%SUVmax increased after PVC, from 26.5% to 40.7%. Conclusion: PVC of the SUVmax is considered to be useful for standardizing dual time point FDG-PET studies in patients with breast cancer performed using different PET scanners. This method is also expected to be useful for standardizing multicenter PET studies.