Quantitative ECT for Complex Imaging Tasks

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议研究的长期目标是改善从具有挑战性的放射性核素的发射断层扫描图像中获取、重建和提取定量信息，并使用任务相关标准评估这些改进。在本项目期间，我们集中精力研究复杂的放射性核素，例如，111 In和67 Cu，以及111 In和99 mTc的同时双放射性核素成像。在下一个项目期间，我们将改进对这些放射性核素的研究;然而，我们还将在三个新的方向上扩展工作，以解决小鼠临床前发射断层成像，用于放射性核素治疗的β发射体的韧致辐射成像，以及减少由于目前限制靶向放射性核素治疗中治疗计划的准确性和精确性的物理因素而引起的系统误差。我们将考虑的成像任务包括估计肿瘤或感染区域的放射性浓度。我们将测量，使用模拟数据以及幻影，动物和/或患者的数据，从我们的新方法产生的任务性能的改善，并比较实现的性能理论界限。我们将考虑与表达生长抑素受体的肿瘤的放射治疗计划相关的临床任务，以及与用90 Y标记的微球治疗肝肿瘤和转移瘤相关的临床任务，以及与骨髓炎诊断相关的临床任务。我们将扩展我们的SPECT准直器设计工作的情况下，同时双放射性核素成像，并解决未解决的问题，是否准直器优化的基础上的投影数据集是足够的，还是准直器应联合优化与重建算法。我们还将开发和评估韧致辐射SPECT的重建技术，以及基于模型的程序，用于校正SPECT-CT和PET-CT图像的“部分容积效应”。“最后，我们将比较基于蒙特-卡罗迭代重建算法和定量平面成像方法的性能，以使用双示踪剂数据诊断骨髓炎。公共卫生相关性：拟议的研究将解决技术挑战，复杂的发射断层成像的几种放射性核素，这是诊断，治疗计划和治疗癌症的价值，以及骨感染的诊断。从这项研究中产生的见解和改进的成像技术将导致更好地诊断和管理这些疾病。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goals of the proposed research are to improve the acquisition, reconstruction, and extraction of quantitative information from emission tomographic images of challenging radionuclides and to assess these improvements using task-dependent criteria. During the current project period, we have concentrated our efforts on complex radionuclides, e.g., 111In and 67Cu, as well as on simultaneous dual- radionuclide imaging of 111In and 99mTc. During the next project period, we will refine our research with these radionuclides; however, we will also extend the work in three new directions in order to address important technical challenges in pre-clinical emission tomographic imaging of mice, bremsstrahlung imaging of beta emitters used for radionuclide therapy, and reduction of systematic errors due to physical factors that currently limit the accuracy and precision of treatment planning in targeted radionuclide therapy. The imaging tasks that we will consider involve estimation of activity concentration in tumors or in regions of infection. We will measure, using simulated data as well as phantom, animal, and/or patient data, the improvements in task performance resulting from our new methodologies, and compare the performance achieved to theoretical bounds. We will consider clinical tasks related to treatment planning for radiotherapy of tumors expressing somatostatin receptors, as well as to treatment of hepatic tumors and metastases with 90Y- labeled microspheres, and to the diagnosis of osteomyelitis. We will extend our SPECT collimator design work to the case of simultaneous dual-radionuclide imaging, and to address the unresolved issue of whether collimator optimization on the basis of projection datasets is sufficient, or whether the collimator should be jointly optimized with the reconstruction algorithm. We will also develop and assess a reconstruction technique for bremsstrahlung SPECT, as well as a model- based procedure for correcting SPECT-CT and PET-CT images for the "partial volume effect." Finally, we will compare the performance of a Monte-Carlo based iterative reconstruction algorithm to that of a quantitative planar imaging approach for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis using dual-tracer data. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research will address technical challenges which complicate emission tomographic imaging of several radionuclides which are of value for diagnosis, treatment planning, and therapy of cancer, as well as for diagnosis of bone infection. The insights and improved imaging techniques which will emerge from this research will lead to better diagnosis and management of these diseases.