Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine
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Multicenter Study
Qualification of PET scanners for use in multicenter cancer clinical trials: the American College of Radiology Imaging Network experience.
The PET Core Laboratory of the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) qualifies sites to participate in multicenter research trials by quantitatively reviewing submitted PET scans of uniform cylinders to verify the accuracy of scanner standardized uptake value (SUV) calibration and qualitatively reviewing clinical PET images from each site. To date, cylinder and patient data from 169 PET scanners have been reviewed, and 146 have been qualified. ⋯ Minimizing errors in SUV measurement is critical to achieving accurate quantification in clinical trials. The experience of the ACRIN PET Core Laboratory shows that many sites are unable to maintain accurate SUV calibrations without additional training or supervision. This raises concerns about using SUVs to quantify patient data without verification.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Dose painting in radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: value of repeated functional imaging with (18)F-FDG PET, (18)F-fluoromisonidazole PET, diffusion-weighted MRI, and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.
The purpose of this work was to evaluate the potential of functional imaging with (18)F-FDG PET, (18)F-fluoromisonidazole PET, diffusion-weighted MRI, and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI to provide an appropriate and reliable biologic target for dose painting in radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). ⋯ These results confirm the added value of (18)F-FDG PET and (18)F-fluoromisonidazole PET for radiotherapy planning of HNSCC and suggest the potential of diffusion-weighted and dynamic enhanced MRI for dose painting and early response assessment.
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Patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) often complain of cognitive fatigue during the chronic recovery phase. The Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) is a complex psychologic measure that may demonstrate subtle deficiencies in higher cognitive functions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the brain activation of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with PASAT in patients with mild TBI to explore mechanisms for the cognitive fatigue. ⋯ Patients with mild TBI and cognitive fatigue demonstrated a different pattern of activation during PASAT. Frontocerebellar dissociation may explain cognitive impairment and cognitive fatigue in the chronic recovery phase of mild traumatic brain injury.
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No test currently exists for molecular imaging of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Adrenomedullin is a vasodilator peptide predominantly cleared by pulmonary endothelial receptors. We developed a linear adrenomedullin derivative radiolabeled with (99m)Tc ((99m)Tc-AM-L) for imaging of pulmonary circulation and tested its capacity to detect anomalies of pulmonary circulation caused by PAH. ⋯ Pulmonary uptake of (99m)Tc-AM-L is greatly reduced in monocrotaline-induced PAH. This novel molecular imaging agent may be useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of pulmonary vascular disorders.