• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.315-324
• /
• 1996

The purpose of this study was to compare the specific binding ratio method with model-based methods in estimating the transporter parameter $k_3/k_4$ in normal controls and Parkinson's patients with [I-123]IPT SPECT and to evaluate the usefulness of [I-123]IPT SPECT. $6.5{\pm}1.1$ mCi ($239.0{\pm}40.3$ MBq) of [$^{123}I$]IPT was intravenouly injected as a bolus into six normal controls(age:$45{\pm}13$) and seventeen patients(age:$55{\pm}8$) with Pakinson's disease(PD). The transporter parameter $k_3/k_4$ was derived using the Ichise's graphical method($R_v$) and Lassen's area ratio method($R_A$) for the dynamic IPT SPECT data without blood samples. Then, the relationships between the transporter parameter $R-v,\;R_A$ and the ratio of (BG-OCC)/OCC at 115 minutes were evaluated by linear regression analysis. $R_vs$ by Ichise's graphical method for NC and PD were $2.08{\pm}0.29$ and $0.78{\pm}0.31$, respectively. $R_As$ by Lassen's area ratio method for NC and PD were $1.48{\pm}0.16$ and $0.65{\pm}0.24$, respectively. The correlation coefficients between (BG-OCC)/OCC and $R_v$, (BG-OCC)/OCC and $R_A$, and $R_v$ and $R_A$ were 0.93, 0.90, 0.99 and their corresponding slopes were 0.54, 0.34, and 0.65, respectively. The $R_v$ and $R_A$ of NC were significantly higher than the ones of PD. That is, the $k_3/k_4$ of NC was clearly separated from the one of PD. $k_3/k_4$ showed a good correlation with the ratio of (BG-OCC)/OCC. The results indicate that the noninvasive simplified quantitative methods may be useful to measure the transporter parameter $k_3/k_4$ and the specific binding ratio method can be used for quantitative studies of dopamine transporter with [I-123]IPT SPECT in humans brains.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.332-343
• /
• 1998

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of various quantitation methods using F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in patients with malignant or benign lung lesion. Materials and Methods: 22 patients (13 malignant including 5 bronchoalverolar cell cancer; 9 benign lesions including 1 hamartoma and 8 active inflammation) were studied after overnight fasting. We performed dynamic PET imaging for 56 min after injection of 370 MBq (10 mCi) of FDG. Standardized uptake values normalized to patient's body weight and plasma glucose concentration (SUVglu) were calculated. The uptake rate constant of FDG and glucose metabolic rate were quantified using Patlak graphical analysis (Kpat and MRpat), three compartment-five parameter model (K5p, MR5p), and six parameter model taking into account heterogeneity of tumor tissue (K6p, MR6p). Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were calculated for each method. Results: There was no significant difference of rate constant or glucose metabolic rate measured by various quantitation methods between malignant and benign lesions. The area under ROC curve were 0.73 for SUVglu, 0.66 for Kpat, 0.77 for MRpat, 0.71 for K5p, 0.73 for MR5p, 0.70 for K6p, and 0.78 for MR6p. No significant difference of area under the ROC curve between these methods was observed except the area between Kpat vs. MRpat (p<0.05). Conclusion: Quantitative methods did not improve diagnostic accuracy in comparison with nonkinetic methods. However, the clinical utility of these methods needs to be evaluated further in patients with low pretest likelihood of active inflammation or bronchoalveolar cell carcinoma.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.548-559
• /
• 1996

A series of performance measurements of positron emission tomography (PET) were performed following the recommendations of the Computer and Instrumentation Council of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. We investigated the performance of the General Electric $Advance^{TM}$ PET. The measurements include the basic intrinsic tests of spatial resolution, scatter fraction, sensitivity, and count rate losses and randoms. They also include the tests of the accuracy of corrections: count rate linearity correction, uniformity correction, scatter correction and attenuation correction. GE $Advance^{TM}$ PET has bismuth germanate oxide crystals (4.0mm transaxial ${\times}$ 8.1mm axial ${\times}$ 30.0mm radial) in 18 rings, which form 35 imaging planes spaced by 4.25mm. The system has retractable tungsten septa 1mm thick and 12cm long. Transaxial resolution was 4.92mm FWHM in 2D and 5.14mm FWHM in 3D at the center. Average axial resolution in 2D decreased from 3.91mm FWHM at the center to 6.49mm FWHM at R=20cm. Average scatter fraction of direct and cross slices was 9.57%. Dead-time losses of 50% corresponded to a radioactivity concentration of $4.86{\mu}Ci/cc$ and a true count rate of 519 kcps in 2D. The accuracy of count rate linearity correction was 1.84% at the activity of $4.50{\mu}Ci/cc$. Non-uniformity was 2.06% in 2D and 2.93% in 3D. Remnant errors after scatter correction were 0.55% in 2D and 4.12% in 3D. The errors of attenuation correction were 6.21% (air), 0.20% (water), -6.32% (teflon) in 2D and 5.00% (air), 6.94% (water), 3.01% (teflon) in 3D. The results indicate the performance of GE $Advance^{TM}$ PET scanner to be well suited for clinical and research applications.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.19-29
• /
• 1997

Recently, [I-123]IPT SPECT has been used for early diagnosis of Parkinson's patients(PP) by imaging dopamine transporters. The dynamic time activity curves in basal ganglia(BG) and occipital cortex(OCC) without blood samples were obtained for 2 hours. These data were then used to measure dopamine transporters by operationally defined ratio methods of (BG-OCC)/OCC at 2 hrs, binding potential $R_v=k_3/k_4$ using graphic method or $R_A$= (ABBG-ABOCC)/ABOCC for 2 hrs, where ABBG represents accumulated binding activity in basal ganglia(${\int}^{120min}_0$ BG(t)dt) and ABOCC represents accumulated binding activity in occipital cortex(${\int}^{120min}_0$ OCC(t)dt). The purpose of this study was to examine the IPT pharmacokinetics and investigate the usefulness of simplified methods of (BG-OCC)/OCC, $R_A$, and $R_v$ which are often assumed that these values reflect the true values of $k_3/k_4$. The rate constants $K_1,\;k_2\;k_3$ and $k_4$ to be used for simulations were derived using [I-123]IPT SPECT and aterialized blood data with a standard three compartmental model. The sensitivities and time activity curves in BG and OCC were computed by changing $K_l$ and $k_3$(only BG) for every 5min over 2 hours. The values (BG-OCC)/OCC, $R_A$, and $R_v$ were then computed from the time activity curves and the linear regression analysis was used to measure the accuracies of these methods. The late constants $K_l,\;k_2\;k_3\;k_4$ at BG and OCC were $1.26{\pm}5.41%,\;0.044{\pm}19.58%,\;0.031{\pm}24.36%,\;0.008{\pm}22.78%$ and $1.36{\pm}4.76%,\;0.170{\pm}6.89%,\;0.007{\pm}23.89%,\;0.007{\pm}45.09%$, respectively. The Sensitivities for ((${\Delta}S/S$)/(${\Delta}k_3/k_3$)) and ((${\Delta}S/S$)/(${\Delta}K_l/K_l$)) at 30min and 120min were measured as (0.19, 0.50) and (0.61, 0,23), respectively. The correlation coefficients and slopes of ((BG-OCC)/OCC, $R_A$, and $R_v$) with $k_3/k_4$ were (0.98, 1.00, 0.99) and (1.76, 0.47, 1.25), respectively. These simulation results indicate that a late [I-123]IPT SPECT image may represent the distribution of the dopamine transporters. Good correlations were shown between (3G-OCC)/OCC, $R_A$ or $R_v$ and true $k_3/k_4$, although the slopes between them were not unity. Pharmacokinetic computer simulations may be a very useful technique in studying dopamine transporter systems.