Uncertainty in measurements of ¹⁸F blood concentration and its effect on simplified dynamic PET analysis.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy and practicality of well counter- and thyroid probe-based methods, commonly available in nuclear medicine facilities, for measuring the concentration of (18)F-FDG in blood samples. The degree to which the accuracy of such methods influences quantitative analysis of dynamic PET scans was also assessed.

Methods: Thirty-five patients with cancer of the head and neck underwent dynamic PET imaging as part of a study intended to evaluate the utility of quantitative, image-based metrics for assessment of early treatment response.