A novel quality control and quality assurance device provides time-activity curves that can identify and characterize PET/CT radiotracer infiltration at the injection site during the uptake phase. The purpose of this study was to compare rates of infiltration detected by the device with rates detected by physicians. We also assessed the value of using the device to improve injection results in our center. 109 subjects consented to the study. All had passive device sensors applied to their skin near the injection site and mirrored on the contralateral arm during the entire uptake period. Nuclear medicine physicians reviewed standard images for the presence of dose infiltration. Sensor-generated time-activity curves were independently examined and then compared with the physician reports. Injection data captured by the software were analyzed, and the results were provided to the technologists. Improvement measures were implemented, and rates were remeasured. Physician review of the initial 40 head-to-toe field-of-view images identified 15 cases (38%) of dose infiltration (9 minor, 5 moderate, and 1 significant). Sensor time-activity curves on these 40 cases independently identified 22 cases (55%) of dose infiltration (16 minor, 5 moderate, and 1 significant). After the time-activity curve results and the contributing factor analysis were shared with technologists, injection techniques were modified and an additional 69 cases were studied. Of these, physician review identified 17 cases (25%) of infiltration (13 minor, 3 moderate, and 1 significant), a 34% decline. Sensor time-activity curves identified 4 cases (6%) of infiltration (2 minor and 2 moderate), an 89% decline. The device provides valuable quality control information for each subject. Time-activity curves can further characterize visible infiltration. Even when the injection site was out of the field of view, the time-activity curves could still detect and characterize infiltration. Our initial experience showed that the quality assurance information obtained from the device helped reduce the rate and severity of infiltration. The device revealed site-specific contributing factors that helped nuclear medicine physicians and technologists customize their quality improvement efforts to these site-specific issues. Reducing infiltration can improve image quality and SUV quantification, as well as the ability to minimize variability in a site's PET/CT results.

PurposeEach year in the United States, approximately 18.5 million nuclear medicine procedures are performed. Various quality control measures are implemented to reduce image errors and improve quantification of radiotracer distribution. However, there is currently no routine or timely feedback about the quality of the radiotracer injection. One potential solution to evaluate the injection quality is to place a topical scintillation sensor near the injection site to record the presence of residual activity. This work investigates a sensor design for identification of injections where the prescribed radioactive activity is not fully delivered into the patient's circulation (an infiltration).MethodsThe sensor consists of a single unshielded bismuth germanate (BGO) crystal (3 mm × 3 mm × 3 mm). Using radioactive sources with gamma energies that span the range commonly used in nuclear medicine, we quantified energy resolution and linearity. Additionally, we computed sensitivity by comparing the calculated incident activity to the activity measured by the sensor. Sensor output linearity was calculated by comparing measured data against the radioactive decay of a source over multiple half‐lives. The sensor incorporates internal temperature feedback used to compensate for ambient temperature fluctuations. We investigated the performance of this compensation over the range of 15°C–35°C.ResultsEnergy spectra from four sensors were used to calculate the energy resolution: 67% for 99mTc (141 keV), 67% for 133Ba (344 keV), 42% for 18F (511 keV), and 32% for 137Cs (662 keV). Note that the energy used for 133Ba is a weighted average of the three photon emissions nearest to the most abundant (356 keV). Sensor energy response was linear with a difference of 1%–2% between measured and predicted values. Energy‐dependent detector sensitivity, defined as the ratio of measured photons to incident photons for a given isotope, decreased with increasing photon energy from 55.4% for 99mTc (141 keV) to 3.3% for 137Cs (662 keV). Without compensation, error due to temperature change was as high as 53%. Temperature compensation reduced the error to less than 1.4%. Sensor output linearity was tested to as high as 210 kcps and the maximum magnitude error was 4%.ConclusionsThe performance of the sensor was adequate for identification of excessive residual activity at an injection site. Its ability to provide feedback may be useful as a quality control measure for nuclear medicine injections.