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

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital Medical Physics workshop for the construction of the rotating phantom. The work has been supported by the European Union under the 7th framework program (No. 201651) and the Division of Imaging Sciences and PET Imaging Centre, King’s College London.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, 4th Floor Lambeth Wing, St. Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Rd, London, SE1 7EH, UK

    Charalampos Tsoumpas, Jane E. Mackewn, Philip Halsted, Andrew P. King, Christian Buerger, John J. Totman, Tobias Schaeffter & Paul K. Marsden

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  1. Charalampos Tsoumpas
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  2. Jane E. Mackewn
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  3. Philip Halsted
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  4. Andrew P. King
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  5. Christian Buerger
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  6. John J. Totman
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  7. Tobias Schaeffter
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  8. Paul K. Marsden
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Correspondence to Charalampos Tsoumpas.

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Tsoumpas, C., Mackewn, J.E., Halsted, P. et al. Simultaneous PET–MR acquisition and MR-derived motion fields for correction of non-rigid motion in PET. Ann Nucl Med 24, 745–750 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-010-0418-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-010-0418-2

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