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MRI-based motion correction of thoracic PET: initial comparison of acquisition protocols and correction strategies suitable for simultaneous PET/MRI systems

European Radiology volume 22, pages 439–446 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquired on equipment capable of simultaneous MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) could potentially provide the gold standard method for motion correction of PET. To assess the latter, in this study we compared fast 2D and 3D MRI of the torso and used deformation parameters from real MRI data to correct simulated PET data for respiratory motion.

Methods

PET sinogram data were simulated using SimSET from a 4D pseudo-PET image series created by segmenting MR images acquired over a respiratory cycle. Motion-corrected PET images were produced using post-reconstruction registration (PRR) and motion-compensated image reconstruction (MCIR).

Results

MRI-based motion correction improved PET image quality at the lung-liver and lung-spleen boundaries and in the heart but little improvement was obtained where MRI contrast was low. The root mean square error in SUV units per voxel compared to a motion-free image was reduced from 0.0271 (no motion correction) to 0.0264 (PRR) and 0.0250 (MCIR).

Conclusions

Motion correction using MRI can improve thoracic PET images but there are limitations due to the quality of fast MRI.

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Acknowledgements

ND was jointly funded by the Bakalas Foundation and the Cambridge European Trust: George and Marie Vergottis Bursary. DI-G, VM and ZAF were partially funded by an NIH grant (NIH/NHLBI R01HL092989). MJG acknowledges financial support from the Department of Health through the National Institute for Health Research Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre award to Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Cambridge. TDF was funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

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Affiliations

  1. Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK

    Nikolaos Dikaios & Tim D. Fryer

  2. Imaging Science Laboratories, Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, Department of Radiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    David Izquierdo-Garcia, Venkatesh Mani & Zahi A. Fayad

  3. Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Martin J. Graves

Authors
  1. Nikolaos Dikaios
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  2. David Izquierdo-Garcia
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  3. Martin J. Graves
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  4. Venkatesh Mani
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  5. Zahi A. Fayad
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  6. Tim D. Fryer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tim D. Fryer.

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Dikaios, N., Izquierdo-Garcia, D., Graves, M.J. et al. MRI-based motion correction of thoracic PET: initial comparison of acquisition protocols and correction strategies suitable for simultaneous PET/MRI systems. Eur Radiol 22, 439–446 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-011-2274-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-011-2274-4

Keywords

  • Computer simulation
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
  • Positron emission tomography
  • Respiratory-gated imaging techniques
  • Whole body imaging