Performance comparison of two commercial BGO-based PET/CT scanners using NEMA NU 2-2001

Med Phys. 2007 Jul;34(7):2708-17. doi: 10.1118/1.2739808.

Abstract

Combined positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) scanners play a major role in medicine for in vivo imaging in an increasing number of diseases in oncology, cardiology, neurology, and psychiatry. With the advent of short-lived radioisotopes other than 18F and newer scanners, there is a need to optimize radioisotope activity and acquisition protocols, as well as to compare scanner performances on an objective basis. The Discovery-LS (D-LS) was among the first clinical PET/CT scanners to be developed and has been extensively characterized with older National Electrical Manufacturer Association (NEMA) NU 2-1994 standards. At the time of publication of the latest version of the standards (NU 2-2001) that have been adapted for whole-body imaging under clinical conditions, more recent models from the same manufacturer, i.e., Discovery-ST (D-ST) and Discovery-STE (D-STE), were commercially available. We report on the full characterization both in the two- and three-dimensional acquisition mode of the D-LS according to latest NEMA NU 2-2001 standards (spatial resolution, sensitivity, count rate performance, accuracy of count losses, and random coincidence correction and image quality), as well as a detailed comparison with the newer D-ST widely used and whose characteristics are already published.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electricity
  • Humans
  • Phantoms, Imaging*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Reference Standards
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed