Local validation of the use of Evolution for Bone for bone SPECT imaging.

Purpose: In order to locally validate the technique, a retrospective review of a cohort of randomly selected single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) bone scans reconstructed with ordered subsets expectation maximization (OSEM) and Evolution for Bone was undertaken.

Materials And Methods: Thirty consecutive bone SPECT patient data sets (17 spine, nine pelvis, and four spine and pelvis) were chosen. Poisson resampling was used to simulate reduced count data at 50, 75, and 100% of the original number of counts.

Use of measured scatter data for the attenuation correction of single photon emission tomography without transmission scanning.

Purpose: Attenuation correction is essential for reliable interpretation of emission tomography, however, the use of transmission measurements to generate attenuation maps is limited by availability of equipment and potential mismatches between the transmission and emission measurements. The authors present a first step toward a method of estimating an attenuation map from measured scatter data without a transmission scan.

Methods: A scatter model has been developed that accurately predicts the distribution of photons which have been scattered once.

Effective doses to patients from CT acquisitions on the GE Infinia Hawkeye: a comparison of calculation methods.

Background: Nuclear medicine scans may be accompanied by CT acquisitions to provide localization of radioisotope uptake through image fusion and for use in attenuation correction. The effective doses to patients resulting from radioisotope administrations and from diagnostic CT scans are well documented. However, the development of gamma cameras with low dose CT attachments introduces the requirement for calculation of effective doses arising from non-standard CT acquisitions.

Investigation of normal ranges for left ventricular ejection fraction in cardiac gated blood pool imaging studies using different processing workstations.

Background: An investigation has been undertaken to calculate normal ranges for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measured by the gated blood pool (GBP) technique. A common set of normal studies was used at 11 hospitals within the south of England to assess the variability of results and normal ranges.

Methods: Normal studies were identified by retrospective review of patients who had undergone a GBP study and echocardiogram at the Royal United Hospital, Bath.

Measurement of Bremsstrahlung as a practical alternative to use of a liquid scintillation counter for the assessment of low activities of 90Y.

Background: The use of 90Y for nuclear medicine therapies has steadily increased over the last 10 years. High administered activities are measured in a calibrated re-entrant ionization chamber, while the most sensitive method of assessment of low activities uses a liquid scintillation counter. This method requires the samples to have an acceptably low quench, and therefore heavily coloured samples must undergo chemical processing before assessment.

Estimated radiation dose to breast feeding infant following maternal administration of 57Co labelled to vitamin B12.

Administration of a radiopharmaceutical may result in a radiation dose to an infant due to ingestion of the radiopharmaceutical secreted in the breast milk. Following a maternal administration of Co labelled to vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) as part of a Schilling test an estimate of the absorbed dose to a breast feeding infant was calculated. Milk samples were collected from every feed in the first 24 h, and at approximately 48 and 72 h post-administration.