Gated tomographic radionuclide angiography using cadmium-zinc-telluride detector gamma camera; comparison to traditional gamma cameras

Abstract

The CZT detector camera was superior to both NaI detector cameras regarding intra- and interobserver variation. The CZT SPECT camera may identify changes in LVEF with greater certainty than its NaI detector-equipped counterparts.

Radiation reduction and faster acquisition times with SPECT gated blood pool scans using a high-efficiency cardiac SPECT camera

“…7 The only study to compare the LVEF's derived from high-efficiency SPECT and traditional planar acquisition found no difference in the mean LVEF's (59.1% ± 7.8% vs 59.1% ± 10.0%). 9 When comparing high-efficiency SPECT to Na-I SPECT acquisition there was a significant difference of 6.2%, with the Na-I SPECT LVEF's being higher. Correlation between highefficiency SPECT and traditional planar as well as SPECT acquisition was good at 0.74 and 0.79, respectively.…”

“…This has been done previously with a conventional SPECT camera, 7 and a high-efficiency camera. 9 The use and diagnostic performance of the reduced isotope doses derived from this study were not validated as part of this research, but may serve as the foundation for future work.…”

“…The first addressed the ability to convert SPECT images to planar views, 8 the second compared the reproducibility of the assessment of LVEF by SPECT and planar techniques, 9 and the third evaluated the reproducibility of ventricular volume calculation by SPECT acquisition. 10 The ability of high-efficiency SPECT camera technology to reduce radiation exposure to patients during gated blood pool imaging has not been previously investigated.…”

Which SPECT for today, which SPECT for tomorrow?

“…8 First results of gated blood pool SPECT imaging using CZT cameras with low tracer doses and short imaging times were recently published. [9][10][11] ''Traditionalists'' point to a number of real advantages of Na-I SPECT along with incremental technological improvements. Newer processing software applied to conventional SPECT cameras allows for routine use of time or dose acquisition, thus diminishing the time and dose gap with the solid-state cameras.…”

Utility of reprojected tomograms

“…With their higher sensitivity, better energy resolution and better spatial resolution than conventional Anger detectors, 22 they may also advance SPECT blood pool imaging. 23 If the atrium is sufficiently large, 3D phase analysis may help separate atrial from ventricular counts, and this will more often succeed for solid state cameras, as these have superior spatial resolution over conventional planar Anger cameras. Consequently, with solid state detectors it should less often be problematic to separate the cardiac chambers because of partial volume effects.…”