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01-03-2020 | Magnetic Resonance Imaging | Nuclear Medicine

ZTE MR-based attenuation correction in brain FDG-PET/MR: performance in patients with cognitive impairment

Authors: Brian Sgard, Maya Khalifé, Arthur Bouchut, Brice Fernandez, Marine Soret, Alain Giron, Clara Zaslavsky, Gaspar Delso, Marie-Odile Habert, Aurélie Kas

Published in: European Radiology | Issue 3/2020

Abstract

Objective

One of the main challenges of integrated PET/MR is to achieve an accurate PET attenuation correction (AC), especially in brain acquisition. Here, we evaluated an AC method based on zero echo time (ZTE) MRI, comparing it with the single-atlas AC method and CT-based AC, set as reference.

Methods

Fifty patients (70 ± 11 years old, 28 men) underwent FDG-PET/MR examination (SIGNA PET/MR 3.0 T, GE Healthcare) as part of the investigation of suspected dementia. They all had brain computed tomography (CT), 2-point LAVA-flex MRI (for atlas-based AC), and ZTE-MRI. Two AC methods were compared with CT-based AC (CTAC): one based on a single atlas, one based on ZTE segmentation. Impact on brain metabolism was evaluated using voxel and volumes of interest–based analyses. The impact of AC was also evaluated through comparisons between two subgroups of patients extracted from the whole population: 15 patients with mild cognitive impairment and normal metabolic pattern, and 22 others with metabolic pattern suggestive of Alzheimer disease, using SPM12 software.

Results

ZTE-AC yielded a lower bias (3.6 ± 3.2%) than the atlas method (4.5 ± 6.1%) and lowest interindividual (4.6% versus 6.8%) and inter-regional (1.4% versus 2.6%) variabilities. Atlas-AC resulted in metabolism overestimation in cortical regions near the vertex and cerebellum underestimation. ZTE-AC yielded a moderate metabolic underestimation mainly in the occipital cortex and cerebellum. Voxel-wise comparison between the two subgroups of patients showed that significant difference clusters had a slightly smaller size but similar locations with PET images corrected with ZTE-AC compared with those corrected with CT_, whereas atlas-AC images showed a notable reduction of significant voxels.

Conclusion

ZTE-AC performed better than atlas-AC in detecting pathologic areas in suspected neurodegenerative dementia.

Key Points

• The ZTE-based AC improved the accuracy of the metabolism quantification in PET compared with the atlas-AC method.

• The overall uptake bias was 21% lower when using ZTE-based AC compared with the atlas-AC method.

• ZTE-AC performed better than atlas-AC in detecting pathologic areas in suspected neurodegenerative dementia.

Available only for authorised users

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Title: ZTE MR-based attenuation correction in brain FDG-PET/MR: performance in patients with cognitive impairment
Authors: Brian Sgard
Maya Khalifé
Arthur Bouchut
Brice Fernandez
Marine Soret
Alain Giron
Clara Zaslavsky
Gaspar Delso
Marie-Odile Habert
Aurélie Kas
Publication date: 01-03-2020
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Computed Tomography
Computed Tomography
Dementia
Positron Emission Tomography
Dementia
Published in: European Radiology / Issue 3/2020
Print ISSN: 0938-7994
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1084
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-019-06514-z

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

ZTE MR-based attenuation correction in brain FDG-PET/MR: performance in patients with cognitive impairment

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Key Points

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Key Points

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