Lee, B.C., Moody, J.B., Poitrasson-Rivière, A. et al. Automated dynamic motion correction using normalized gradient fields for 82rubidium PET myocardial blood flow quantification. J. Nucl. Cardiol. 27, 1982–1998 (2020).

Description:
This study developed and evaluated an image-based 3D automated motion-correction algorithm for dynamic PET myocardial perfusion imaging using rubidium-82 chloride (82Rb).

The algorithm was designed to correct translational patient motion, especially during the early frames where tracer activity transitions from the blood pool to the myocardium. The study analyzed data from 225 consecutive patients, comparing the automated motion corrections to reference shifts manually assessed by physicians.

Blood pool and tissue isolation example illustrating (Step 1) temporal phase identification of the time activity curves (TAC), (Steps 2-4) spatial volumes-of-interest (VOIs) of the blood pools shown in horizontal long-axis (HLA) views for the RVBP (blue outline) and the RVBP-subtracted LVBP (orange outline), and (Step 5) the updating of the TACs for the next iteration. LV tissue midsurface (white contour) and TAC remain unchanged. LV, left ventricle; RV, right ventricle; LVBP, left ventricular blood pool; RVBP, right ventricular blood pool.

Clinical Relevance:
Automated motion correction in dynamic PET imaging improves the accuracy of myocardial blood flow (MBF) and myocardial flow reserve (MFR) measurements by aligning the left ventricular volumes-of-interest. This accuracy is particularly crucial in the early blood phase frames, leading to improved diagnostic reliability. The use of such automated algorithms can potentially standardize image processing, reduce manual workload, and improve patient outcomes by ensuring precise and consistent flow quantifications, critical for effective diagnosis and treatment planning in myocardial perfusion imaging.

Partners in Research:
INVIA Medical Imaging Solutions and the University of Michigan collaborated on this research.

Publication

Full Text