Significance of daily quality assurance scan in hardware artifact evaluation

Abstract

A failure in any of the hardware components can lead to degradation in image quality and accuracy of quantification. Few artifacts may bring serious impacts on the image quality and finally lead to the wrong diagnosis. We encountered a sudden appearance of the cold area, being more prominently visible on Positron Emission Tomography image in comparison to the fused image. A daily quality assurance scan was performed to evaluate the status of the machine after giving a restart to the system. It was discovered that the module number 9–11 showed dark black color in the graph due to scarcity of counts indicating a failure/malfunctioning of the detector or electronic board-Cassette Electronic Module board (CEM board) supporting the module 9–11. Further evaluation of the system helped us diagnose that one of the electronic board (CEM Board) had become nonfunctional. A new functional electronic board (CEM board) was ordered and placed and the error rectified.

Importance of Understanding and Analyzing Daily Quality Assurance Test of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Equipment in Minimizing the Downtime of Equipment in Remote Places

“…[ 2 3 ] The DQA has unparalleled advantages as it is less time-consuming and can help in the evaluation of hardware-related artifact too. [ 5 ] It helps display in graphical representation various parameters of the crystal in PET (coincidence count rate, single count rate, dead time, coincidence time, and energy response). A PET system is made of an array of scintillation crystals, consisting of multiple blocks, and optically coupled to four or more single-anode photomultiplier tube (PMT) wherein a block damage of any scintillator can occur during the routine process without any warning.…”