Simultaneous PET–MR acquisition and MR-derived motion fields for correction of non-rigid motion in PET

Objective Positron emission tomography (PET) provides an accurate measurement of radiotracer concentration in vivo, but performance can be limited by subject motion which degrades spatial resolution and quantitative accuracy. This effect may become a limiting factor for PET studies in the body as PE...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of nuclear medicine 2010-12, Vol.24 (10), p.745-750
Main Authors: Tsoumpas, Charalampos, Mackewn, Jane E., Halsted, Philip, King, Andrew P., Buerger, Christian, Totman, John J., Schaeffter, Tobias, Marsden, Paul K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods
Imaging
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - instrumentation
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Movement
Nuclear Medicine
Phantoms, Imaging
Positron-Emission Tomography - instrumentation
Positron-Emission Tomography - methods
Radiology
Short Communication
Time Factors
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Summary:Objective Positron emission tomography (PET) provides an accurate measurement of radiotracer concentration in vivo, but performance can be limited by subject motion which degrades spatial resolution and quantitative accuracy. This effect may become a limiting factor for PET studies in the body as PET scanner technology improves. In this work, we propose a new approach to address this problem by employing motion information from images measured simultaneously using a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner. Methods The approach is demonstrated using an MR-compatible PET scanner and PET–MR acquisition with a purpose-designed phantom capable of non-rigid deformations. Measured, simultaneously acquired MR data were used to correct for motion in PET, and results were compared with those obtained using motion information from PET images alone. Results Motion artefacts were significantly reduced and the PET image quality and quantification was significantly improved by the use of MR motion fields, whilst the use of PET-only motion information was less successful. Conclusions Combined PET–MR acquisitions potentially allow PET motion compensation in whole-body acquisitions without prolonging PET acquisition time or increasing radiation dose. This, to the best of our knowledge, is the first study to demonstrate that simultaneously acquired MR data can be used to estimate and correct for the effects of non-rigid motion in PET.
ISSN:0914-7187
1864-6433
DOI:10.1007/s12149-010-0418-2