ObjectiveThe performance of a new single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanner with a cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) solid-state semiconductor detector (Discovery NM 530c; D530c) was evaluated and compared to a conventional Anger-type SPECT with a dual-detector camera (Infinia).MethodsThree different phantom studies were performed. Full width at half maximum (FWHM) was measured using line sources placed at different locations in a cylindrical phantom. Uniformity was measured using cylindrical phantoms with 3 different diameters (80, 120, and 160 mm). Spatial resolution was evaluated using hot-rod phantoms of various diameters (5, 9, 13, 16, and 20 mm). Three different myocardial phantom studies were also performed, acquiring projection data with and without defects, and evaluating the interference of liver and gallbladder radioactivity. In a clinical study, the D530c employed list-mode raw data acquisition with electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated acquisition over a 10-min period. From the 10-min projection data, 1-, 3-, 5-, 7- and 10-min SPECT images were reconstructed.ResultsThe FWHM of the D503c was 1.73–3.48 mm (without water) and 3.88–6.64 mm (with water), whereas the FWHM of the Infinia was 8.17–12.63 mm (without water) and 15.48–16.28 mm (with water). Non-uniformity was larger for the D530c than for the Infinia. Truncation artifacts were also observed with the D530c in a Φ160 mm phantom. The contrast ratio, as defined by myocardial defect/non-defect ratio, was better for the D530c than for the Infinia, and the influence from liver and gallbladder radioactivities was less. Quantitative gated SPECT (QGS) software demonstrated significant differences between data captured over a 10-min period, relative to those acquired over periods of <5 min; there was no difference between ejection fractions calculated using data capture for periods ≥5 min (p < 0.05).ConclusionsThe D530c is superior to the Infinia, with regard to both spatial resolution and sensitivity. In this study, these advantages were confirmed by the myocardial phantom and in a clinical setting, using the QGS software.

No abstract

Background: Direct evidence of inflammatory activity in the atria of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is scarce. We assessed the capability of positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) to diagnose AF based on fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the atrial wall. Methods and results: Among 8233 patients who underwent FDG-PET/CT as work-up for malignancies, we identified 180 consecutive patients with AF (2.2%). Of those, we selected 137 patients who had fasted N12 h before FDG injection for inclusion in the experimental group (88 men and 49 women; age: 72.7 ± 8.9 years). Controls were 62 age-and sex-matched patients without AF. For visual analysis, we used a 4-point grading system. For quantitative analysis, we used the maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) in the left (LA) and right atrial (RA) myocardium and the target-to-background ratio (TBR) of SUVmax to blood pool activity. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive-predictive value for detecting AF visually were 54.0%, 95.2%, and 96.1%, respectively; for quantitative analysis, the respective values were 65.7%, 75.8%, and 85.7%. Multivariable analysis of 11 clinical and imaging variables showed significant associations with RA SUVmax (odds ratio [OR]: 14.353, P = 0.026) and LA volume (OR: 1.371, P = 0.0001). The RA TBR was greater in cases with persistent AF than in those with paroxysmal AF (P b 0.0001). Pathological investigation of 4 autopsy hearts confirmed infiltration of extravascular macrophages and lymphocytes in the regions with FDG uptake. Conclusions: Higher atrial FDG uptake was associated with AF. PET/CT could be a useful tool for detecting local inflammation in the atria with AF.

15O-water has been considered to be a near-perfect and the most ideal myocardial blood flow (MBF) tracer because it is freely diffusible, metabolically inert, and independent of the myocardial metabolic state, which results in the highest extraction fraction. Absolute coronary flow reserve (CFR) is the ratio of MBF during maximal hyperemia in a coronary artery to MBF in the same artery under resting conditions and can be quantified noninvasively by positron emission tomography (PET). A growing body of literature is accumulating to show that the prognostic value of absolute MBF or CFR, which is quantified by cardiac PET.

The novel CZT SPECT system facilitated a short scan time with reduced radiotracer dose, yielding an acceptable diagnostic performance for angiographical coronary artery disease, although the low sensitivity for LAD detection with Tc-radiotracer needs to be refined.