METHODS: The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) procedure guidelines version 2.0 for FDG-PET tumor imaging has adhered for this purpose. A NEMA2012/IEC2008 phantom was filled with tumor to background ratio of 10:1 with the activity concentration of 30 kBq/ml ± 10 and 3 kBq/ml ± 10% for each radioisotope. The phantom was scanned using different acquisition times per bed position (1, 5, 7, 10 and 15 min) to determine the Tmin. The definition of Tmin was performed using an image coefficient of variations (COV) of 15%.

RESULTS: Tmin obtained for 18F, 68Ga and 124I were 3.08, 3.24 and 32.93 min, respectively. Quantitative analyses among 18F, 68Ga and 124I images were performed. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast recovery coefficients (CRC), and visibility (VH) are the image quality parameters analysed in this study. Generally, 68Ga and 18F gave better image quality as compared to 124I for all the parameters studied.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted based on the guideline published by the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) version 2.0 FDG-PET/CT and conducted in two phases. Firstly, 100 whole-body scan 18FFDG PET/CT images were selected for the average coefficient of variation (COV) analysis in the liver region. Second, a NEMA 2012/IEC2008 phantom was used to obtain the relationship between the COVphantom and the scanning time. Finally, the images acquired using the two Tmin were quantitatively compared using contrast recovery coefficient (QH), signal to noise ratio (SNR), and visibility (VH). Independent t-test between each image quality parameter performed with p-value <0.05 considered significant.

RESULTS: The average COV of the liver was 17.7%. Currently, this value was clinically accepted to produce appropriate image quality at IKN. Interpolation at COV=17.7% gave a Tmin value of 2.9 minutes. Comparisons show that the two Tmin yielded equivalent PET/CT image quality (p-value of QH=0.774, SNR=0.780 and VH=0.915).

METHODS: PubMed and Google Scholar were systematically searched for the relevant studies by following the PRISMA 2009 checklist. A past decade literature search was conducted from 2010 until November 2020 to secure the relevance of the phantom study. Databases were recruited using keywords such as phantom, quantification, standardisation, harmonisation, image quality, standardised uptake value and multicentre study. However, all keywords were related to PET/CT. All abstracts and eligible full-text articles were screened independently, and finally, the quality assessments of this review were performed.

RESULTS: From the 200 retrieved articles, 80 were rejected after the screening of the abstracts and 35 after reading the full-text. The 20 accepted articles addressed the distribution of phantom types used in selected articles studies which were NEMA (67%), ACR (8%) and others (25%). The articles showed the various experimental studies, either phantom studies (35%) or phantom plus clinical studies (65%). For clinical studies (n = 829), the distribution of prospective studies was (n = 674) and retrospective studies was (n =155). The distribution of phantom pathway application showed the studies focused on 40% of reconstruction protocol studies, 30% of the multicentre and standardisation of accreditation program studies, and 30% of the quantification of uptake values studies.

METHODS: Bone scan with SPECT/CT using 99mTc-MDP was performed in 34 patients diagnosed with prostate carcinoma. SPECT/CT was performed based on our institutional standard guidelines. SUVmax based on body weight in 238 normal vertebrae visualized on SPECT/CT was quantified as baseline. A total of 211 lesions in the spine were identified on bone scan. Lesions were characterized into DJD or bone metastases based on its morphology on low-dose CT. Semi-quantitative evaluation using SUVmax was then performed on 89 DJD and 122 metastatic bone lesions. As most of the bone lesions were small in volume, the effect of partial volume effect (PVE) on SUVmax was also assessed. The corrected SUVmax values were obtained based on the recovery coefficient (RC) method.