Region specific optimization of continuous linear attenuation coefficients based on UTE (RESOLUTE): application to PET/MR brain imaging

TY - JOUR

T1 - Region specific optimization of continuous linear attenuation coefficients based on UTE (RESOLUTE)

T2 - application to PET/MR brain imaging

AU - Ladefoged, Claes N

AU - Benoit, Didier

AU - Law, Ian

AU - Holm, Søren

AU - Kjær, Andreas

AU - Højgaard, Liselotte

AU - Hansen, Adam E

AU - Andersen, Flemming L

PY - 2015/9/30

Y1 - 2015/9/30

N2 - The reconstruction of PET brain data in a PET/MR hybrid scanner is challenging in the absence of transmission sources, where MR images are used for MR-based attenuation correction (MR-AC). The main challenge of MR-AC is to separate bone and air, as neither have a signal in traditional MR images, and to assign the correct linear attenuation coefficient to bone. The ultra-short echo time (UTE) MR sequence was proposed as a basis for MR-AC as this sequence shows a small signal in bone. The purpose of this study was to develop a new clinically feasible MR-AC method with patient specific continuous-valued linear attenuation coefficients in bone that provides accurate reconstructed PET image data. A total of 164 [18F]FDG PET/MR patients were included in this study, of which 10 were used for training. MR-AC was based on either standard CT (reference), UTE or our method (RESOLUTE). The reconstructed PET images were evaluated in the whole brain, as well as regionally in the brain using a ROI-based analysis. Our method segments air, brain, cerebral spinal fluid, and soft tissue voxels on the unprocessed UTE TE images, and uses a mapping of values to CT Hounsfield Units (HU) to measure the density in bone voxels. The average error of our method in the brain was 0.1% and less than 1.2% in any region of the brain. On average 95% of the brain was within ±10% of PETCT, compared to 72% when using UTE. The proposed method is clinically feasible, reducing both the global and local errors on the reconstructed PET images, as well as limiting the number and extent of the outliers.

AB - The reconstruction of PET brain data in a PET/MR hybrid scanner is challenging in the absence of transmission sources, where MR images are used for MR-based attenuation correction (MR-AC). The main challenge of MR-AC is to separate bone and air, as neither have a signal in traditional MR images, and to assign the correct linear attenuation coefficient to bone. The ultra-short echo time (UTE) MR sequence was proposed as a basis for MR-AC as this sequence shows a small signal in bone. The purpose of this study was to develop a new clinically feasible MR-AC method with patient specific continuous-valued linear attenuation coefficients in bone that provides accurate reconstructed PET image data. A total of 164 [18F]FDG PET/MR patients were included in this study, of which 10 were used for training. MR-AC was based on either standard CT (reference), UTE or our method (RESOLUTE). The reconstructed PET images were evaluated in the whole brain, as well as regionally in the brain using a ROI-based analysis. Our method segments air, brain, cerebral spinal fluid, and soft tissue voxels on the unprocessed UTE TE images, and uses a mapping of values to CT Hounsfield Units (HU) to measure the density in bone voxels. The average error of our method in the brain was 0.1% and less than 1.2% in any region of the brain. On average 95% of the brain was within ±10% of PETCT, compared to 72% when using UTE. The proposed method is clinically feasible, reducing both the global and local errors on the reconstructed PET images, as well as limiting the number and extent of the outliers.

KW - Adipose Tissue

KW - Aged

KW - Bone and Bones

KW - Brain

KW - Brain Diseases

KW - Cerebrospinal Fluid

KW - Female

KW - Fluorodeoxyglucose F18

KW - Humans

KW - Image Processing, Computer-Assisted

KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging

KW - Male

KW - Neuroimaging

KW - Positron-Emission Tomography

KW - Radiopharmaceuticals

KW - Retrospective Studies

KW - Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

KW - Tomography, X-Ray Computed

U2 - 10.1088/0031-9155/60/20/8047

DO - 10.1088/0031-9155/60/20/8047

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 26422177

SN - 0031-9155

VL - 60

SP - 8047

EP - 8065

JO - Physics in Medicine and Biology

JF - Physics in Medicine and Biology

IS - 20

ER -