PET/CT Gating Workflow Efficiency Improvements using Continuous Bed Motion Imaging Techniques.

Objectives Continuous Bed Motion (CBM) technology has created a new way of running PET/CT scans. There are many workflow improvements using CBM compared to tradiational Step and Shoot (SS) imaging. One key improvement is reduced time for gated protocol setup and imaging enabling more routine use of respiratory motion correction. This study assesses the impact of improvements using CBM vs. traditional SS techniques.

Methods Protocols were setup and all patients imaged using a Siemens Biograph mCT with FlowMotion CBM technology. To evaluate improvements in gating, 2 respiratory gated protocols of the lungs were created, one using SS and one CBM. The total scan time for each PET protocol were recorded and compared. Technologists were asked to set up a respiratory gated protocol using SS and CBM protocols. Protocol setup time was recorded and the number of mouse clicks counted during set up.

Results Total scan time for CBM respiratory gated protocols were less than those for similar SS protocols. The average reduction of scan time when using CBM compared to SS was 23% and was statistically significant (p<0.05). Total number of clicks for protocol setup was reduced in CBM studies by 14 % compared to SS. A reduction in protocol setup time of approximately 2.5 seconds per protocol was observed when using CBM vs. SS, although this was not shown to be significant (p>0.05). Average scan time and setup savings of 2.54 minutes was observed when using CBM.

Conclusions CBM respiratory gated protocols are more efficient than SS respiratory gated protocols. When using CBM to create a gated respiratory image an exact range size can be selected to cover the area of interest instead of being limited to ranges of multiples of beds, which reduces the scan time of the gated image allowing more routine use. Patient Protocol setup times are decreased by using CBM vs. SS. The timely manner of CBM gating allows for disease specific imaging without interfering with clinical workflow.

Research Support Funding for this research was provided by departmental funds of the Molecular Imaging and Translationals Research Program in the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tennessee.