Purpose This joint practice guideline or procedure standard was developed collaboratively by the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). The goal of this guideline is to assist nuclear medicine practitioners in recommending, performing, interpreting, and reporting the results of dopaminergic imaging in parkinsonian syndromes. Methods Currently nuclear medicine investigations can assess both presynaptic and postsynaptic function of dopaminergic synapses. To date both EANM and SNMMI have published procedural guidelines for dopamine transporter imaging with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) (in 2009 and 2011, respectively). An EANM guideline for D2 SPECT imaging is also available (2009). Since the publication of these previous guidelines, new lines of evidence have been made available on semiquantification, harmonization, comparison with normal datasets, and longitudinal analyses of dopamine transporter imaging with SPECT. Similarly, details on acquisition protocols and simplified quantification methods are now available for dopamine transporter imaging with PET, including recently developed fluorinated tracers. Finally, [ 18 F]fluorodopa PET is now used in some centers for the differential diagnosis of parkinsonism, although procedural guidelines aiming to define standard procedures for [ 18 F]fluorodopa imaging in this setting are still lacking. Conclusion All these emerging issues are addressed in the present procedural guidelines for dopaminergic imaging in parkinsonian syndromes.

The PennPET Explorer, a prototype whole-body imager currently operating with a 64-cm axial field of view, can image the major body organs simultaneously with higher sensitivity than that of commercial devices. We report here the initial human imaging studies on the PennPET Explorer, with each study designed to test specific capabilities of the device. Methods: Healthy subjects were imaged with FDG on the PennPET Explorer. Subsequently, clinical subjects with disease were imaged with 18 F-FDG and 68 Ga-DOTATATE, and research subjects were imaged with experimental radiotracers. Results: We demonstrated the ability to scan for a shorter duration or, alternatively, with less activity, without a compromise in image quality. Delayed images, up to 10 half-lives with 18 F-FDG, revealed biologic insight and supported the ability to track biologic processes over time. In a clinical subject, the PennPET Explorer better delineated the extent of 18 F-FDG-avid disease. In a second clinical study with 68 Ga-DOTATATE, we demonstrated comparable diagnostic image quality between the PennPET scan and the clinical scan, but with one fifth the activity. Dynamic imaging studies captured relatively noise-free input functions for kinetic modeling approaches. Additional studies with experimental research radiotracers illustrated the benefits from the combination of large axial coverage and high sensitivity. Conclusion: These studies provided a proof of concept for many proposed applications for a PET scanner with a long axial field of view.

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Visual interpretation of I-ioflupane SPECT images has high diagnostic accuracy for differentiating parkinsonian syndromes (PS), from essential tremor and probable dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) from Alzheimer disease. In this study, we investigated the impact on accuracy and reader confidence offered by the addition of image quantification in comparison with visual interpretation alone. We collected 304 I-ioflupane images from 3 trials that included subjects with a clinical diagnosis of PS, non-PS (mainly essential tremor), probable DLB, and non-DLB (mainly Alzheimer disease). Images were reconstructed with standardized parameters before striatal binding ratios were quantified against a normal database. Images were assessed by 5 nuclear medicine physicians who had limited prior experience withI-ioflupane interpretation. In 2 readings at least 1 mo apart, readers performed either a visual interpretation alone or a combined reading (i.e., visual plus quantitative data were available). Readers were asked to rate their confidence of image interpretation and judge scans as easy or difficult to read. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by comparing image results with the standard of truth (i.e., diagnosis at follow-up) by measuring the positive percentage of agreement (equivalent to sensitivity) and the negative percentage of agreement (equivalent to specificity). The hypothesis that the results of the combined reading were not inferior to the results of the visual reading analysis was tested. A comparison of the combined reading and the visual reading revealed a small, insignificant increase in the mean negative percentage of agreement (89.9% vs. 87.9%) and equivalent positive percentages of agreement (80.2% vs. 80.1%). Readers who initially performed a combined analysis had significantly greater accuracy (85.8% vs. 79.2%; = 0.018), and their accuracy was close to that of the expert readers in the original studies (range, 83.3%-87.2%). Mean reader confidence in the interpretation of images showed a significant improvement when combined analysis was used ( < 0.0001). The addition of quantification allowed readers with limited experience in the interpretation ofI-ioflupane SPECT scans to have diagnostic accuracy equivalent to that of the experienced readers in the initial studies. Also, the results of the combined reading were not inferior to the results of the visual reading analysis and offered an increase in reader confidence.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Fluorine-18 florbetapir is a recently developed ␤-amyloid plaque positron-emission tomography imaging agent with high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in the detection of moderate-to-frequent cerebral cortical ␤-amyloid plaque. However, the FDA has expressed concerns about the consistency of interpretation of [18 F] florbetapir PET brain scans. We hypothesized