Diagnostic Accuracy of Low-Dose Myocardial Perfusion Imaging in a Real-World Setting.

Background: This large-scale study analyzes factors affecting diagnostic accuracy of low-dose myocardial perfusion imaging and correlation with coronary angiography in a real-world practice.

Methods: We compared data extracted from routine reports of (i) low-dose [Tc]sestamibi stress-MPI performed with no attenuation correction and predominantly exercise stress testing and (ii) the corresponding coronary angiography.

Results: We considered 1070 pairs of coronary angiography/stress-MPI results reported by 11 physicians.

Early wave reflection of carotid artery is associated with 18 F-FDG PET hypometabolism in Alzheimer's brain areas of cognitively normal adults.

Introduction: Arterial stiffening likely plays a role in Alzheimer disease (AD) pathogenesis. The current study investigated whether inter-individual variations in arterial stiffness and pressure wave parameters were associated with 18 F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) metabolism in AD-associated brain areas throughout adulthood, independently of age and before the onset of any neuropsychological disorders.

Methods: A prospective, large age-range population of 67 patients (17 young, 16 middle-aged, and 34 older adults; 37 women) underwent a: brain 18 F-FDG PET, blood pressure recording, and carotid/femoral pulse wave-based measurements, including the time-to-peak of the reflected backward carotid pulse wave (bT), on the same day.

Factors Associated with Myocardial Uptake on Oncologic Somatostatin PET Investigations and Differentiation from Myocardial Uptake of Acute Myocarditis.

Myocardial somatostatin PET uptake is observed not only in most patients with acute myocarditis (AM) but also in some oncology patients referred for routine somatostatin PET. This raises concerns about the specificity of somatostatin PET for detecting myocarditis. The current study aims to identify factors associated with the detection of myocardial uptake on somatostatin PET scans recorded for oncology indications and differential PET criteria that characterize myocardial uptake in AM patients.

Amino-acid PET as a prognostic tool after post Stupp protocol temozolomide therapy in high-grade glioma patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic performance of amino-acid PET in high-grade gliomas (HGG) patients at the time of temozolomide (TMZ) treatment discontinuation, after the Stupp protocol.

Methods: The analysis included consecutive HGG patients with dynamic [18F]FDOPA PET imaging within 3 months of the end of TMZ therapy, post-Stupp protocol. Static and dynamic PET parameters, responses to RANO criteria for MRI and clinical and histo-molecular factors were correlated to progression-free (PFS).

Association between baseline hemodynamic indices, cardiotoxicity risk, and survival in women with breast cancer.

Background: The outcome of breast cancer (BrCa) women monitored by low-dose equilibrium radionuclide angiography (ERNA) remains challenging to predict.

Aim: This study aims to determine whether heart rate (HR)/blood pressure (BP) ratio-based indexes, previously confirmed to predict outcomes of various diseases, also predict BrCa-therapy-related cardiotoxicity and survival.

Methods: Predictors of cardiotoxicity and survival were determined among pre-therapy variables, including shock index ([SI HR/systolic BP) and age-adjusted SI (ASI), in a female BrCa cohort with normal baseline ERNA-left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Volume of the proximal half of the thoracic aorta is the most comprehensive FDG-PET/CT indicator of arterial aging throughout adulthood.

Introduction: F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and computed tomography (CT) features of the proximal and more elastic half of the thoracic aorta are known to correlate with aorta stiffness in older populations. This prospective study aimed to analyze the changes in these FDG-PET/CT features between young, middle-aged, and older adults, and investigate associations with arterial stiffness and blood pressure (BP).

Methods: Young (< 40 years), middle-aged (40-to-60 years), and older (> 60 years) adults, who underwent an FDG-PET/CT, were prospectively recruited.

Semi-automated segmentation methods of SSTR PET for dosimetry prediction in refractory meningioma patients treated by SSTR-targeted peptide receptor radionuclide therapy.

Objectives: Tumor dosimetry with somatostatin receptor-targeted peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (SSTR-targeted PRRT) by Lu-DOTATATE may contribute to improved treatment monitoring of refractory meningioma. Accurate dosimetry requires reliable and reproducible pretherapeutic PET tumor segmentation which is not currently available. This study aims to propose semi-automated segmentation methods to determine metabolic tumor volume with pretherapeutic Ga-DOTATOC PET and evaluate SUV-derived values as predictive factors for tumor-absorbed dose.

Routine first-line detection of breast cancer therapy-related cardiotoxicity by serial, fast and ultra-low-dose equilibrium radionuclide angiography.

Background: This study assesses a first-line left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) monitoring provided by an ultra-low-dose equilibrium radionuclide angiography (ERNA) in breast cancer women treated with potentially cardiotoxic drugs and analyzes patient outcome based on the ERNA results.

Methods: Breast cancer women treated with anthracyclines, followed or not by trastuzumab, were monitored using ERNA with a high-sensitivity CZT-camera. Calibrated LVEF measurements were obtained with an almost threefold reduction of radiation doses and 10-min recording times.

Metabolic connectivity is associated with seizure outcome in surgically treated temporal lobe epilepsies: A F-FDG PET seed correlation analysis.

Unlabelled: F-FDG PET provides high sensitivity for the pre-surgical assessment of drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). However, little is known about the metabolic connectivity of epileptogenic networks involved. This study therefore aimed to evaluate the association between metabolic connectivity and seizure outcome in surgically treated TLE.

Detection of acute myocarditis by ECG-triggered PET imaging of somatostatin receptors compared to cardiac magnetic resonance: preliminary results.

Unlabelled: Somatostatin receptors are overexpressed by inflammatory cells but not by cardiac cells, under normal conditions. This study assesses the detection of acute myocarditis by the ECG-triggered digital-PET imaging of somatostatin receptors (Ga-DOTATOC-PET), as compared to Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) imaging, which is the reference diagnostic method in this setting.

Methods: Fourteen CMR-defined acute myocarditis patients had a first 15-minutes ECG-triggered Ga-DOTATOC PET recording, 4.

Interactions Between Brain F-FDG PET Metabolism and Hemodynamic Parameters at Different Ages of Life: Results From a Prospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Brain F-FDG PET imaging is useful to characterize accelerated brain aging at a pre-symptomatic stage. This study aims to examine the interactions between brain glycolytic metabolism and hemodynamic parameters in different age groups. : A total of 72 patients (from 23 to 88 years of age, 38 women) without any cerebral diseases but with available cardiac, arterial peripheral, and central blood pressure measurements as well as arterial stiffness parameters obtained from brachial pressure and applanation tonometry and a brain F-FDG PET scan were prospectively included into this study.

The detection of infectious endocarditis may be enhanced by a repeat FDG-PET while maintaining patients on a ketogenic diet.

Background: This study aims to determine whether the suppression of myocardial FDG uptake and detection of infectious endocarditis (IE) may be enhanced when FDG-PET is repeated on the next day while maintaining patients on a ketogenic diet in the interim.

Methods: Seventeen patients with definite IE underwent FDG-PET investigations both after a conventional metabolic preparation (> 12-hour fast after a low-carbohydrate evening meal) and a subsequent 12-hour extension of the low-carbohydrate diet followed by an additional > 12-hour fast.

Results: Plasma biomarkers showed increased ketogenic metabolism between the two FDG-PET scans.

Prospective Paired Comparison of 123I-FP-CIT SPECT Images Obtained With a 360°-CZT and a Conventional Camera.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare 123I-FP-CIT SPECT imaging obtained from a 360° cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) camera with different focus configurations and from a conventional Anger camera.

Methods: This prospective study (NCT03980418) included patients referred to 123I-FP-CIT SPECT imaging who consecutively underwent a 30-minute acquisition on a conventional camera immediately followed by two 15-minute acquisitions on the 360°-CZT camera with, respectively, striatum and brain focus and reconstruction parameters to give equivalent contrast ratios, albeit with higher spatial resolution for the CZT camera. Tomographic count sensitivities were calculated.

Assessment of the routine reporting of very low-dose exercise-first myocardial perfusion SPECT from a large-scale real-world cohort and correlation with the subsequent reporting of coronary stenosis at angiography.

Purpose: Our study assesses the routine reporting of exercise ischemia using very low-dose exercise-first myocardial perfusion SPECT in a large number of patients and under real-life conditions, by evaluating correlations with the subsequent routine reporting of coronary stenosis by angiography and with factors that predict ischemia.

Methods: Data from 13,126 routine exercise MPI reports, from 11,952 patients (31% women), using very low doses of sestamibi and a high-sensitivity cardiac CZT camera, were extracted to assess the reporting of significant MPI-ischemia (> 1 left ventricular segment), to determine the MPI normalcy rate in a group with < 5% pretest probability of coronary artery disease (CAD) (n = 378), and to assess the ability of MPI to predict a > 50% coronary stenosis in patients with available coronary angiography reports in the 3 months after the MPI (n = 713).

Results: The median effective patient dose was 2.

Effect of Point Spread Function Deconvolution in Reconstruction of Brain F-FDG PET Images on the Diagnostic Thinking Efficacy in Alzheimer's Disease.

This study aims to determine the effect of applying Point Spread Function (PSF) deconvolution, which is known to improve contrast and spatial resolution in brain F-FDG PET images, to the diagnostic thinking efficacy in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We compared Hoffman 3-D brain phantom images reconstructed with or without PSF. The effect of PSF deconvolution on AD diagnostic clinical performance was determined from digital brain F-FDG PET images of AD ( = 38) and healthy ( = 35) subjects compared to controls ( = 36).

F-FDOPA PET for the Noninvasive Prediction of Glioma Molecular Parameters: A Radiomics Study.

The assessment of gliomas by F-FDOPA PET imaging as an adjunct to MRI showed high performance by combining static and dynamic features to noninvasively predict the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations and the 1p/19q codeletion, which the World Health Organization classified as significant parameters in 2016. The current study evaluated whether other F-FDOPA PET radiomics features further improve performance and the contributions of each of these features to performance. Our study included 72 retrospectively selected, newly diagnosed glioma patients with F-FDOPA PET dynamic acquisitions.

Prognostic Impact of 18-F-Florbetaben Amyloid PET Imaging in Patients with Isolated Increases in Cerebrospinal Fluid Phospho-Tau Biomarkers: A Longitudinal Study.

This longitudinal study evaluates the prognostic impact of amyloid PET in patients suspected of Alzheimer's disease and presenting with isolated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) increases in P-Tau proteins (NCT02556502). The rate of conversion, based on the DSM-5 criteria and all collected data (average follow-up of 39.2±13.

High-quality brain perfusion SPECT images may be achieved with a high-speed recording using 360° CZT camera.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare brain perfusion SPECT obtained from a 360° CZT and a conventional Anger camera.

Methods: The 360° CZT camera utilizing a brain configuration, with 12 detectors surrounding the head, was compared to a 2-head Anger camera for count sensitivity and image quality on 30-min SPECT recordings from a brain phantom and from Tc-HMPAO brain perfusion in 2 groups of 21 patients investigated with the CZT and Anger cameras, respectively. Image reconstruction was adjusted according to image contrast for each camera.

Use of static and dynamic [F]-F-DOPA PET parameters for detecting patients with glioma recurrence or progression.

Background: Static [F]-F-DOPA PET images are currently used for identifying patients with glioma recurrence/progression after treatment, although the additional diagnostic value of dynamic parameters remains unknown in this setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performances of static and dynamic [F]-F-DOPA PET parameters for detecting patients with glioma recurrence/progression as well as assess further relationships with patient outcome.

Methods: Fifty-one consecutive patients who underwent an [F]-F-DOPA PET for a suspected glioma recurrence/progression at post-resection MRI, were retrospectively included.

Hypermetabolism of the spleen or bone marrow is an additional albeit indirect sign of infective endocarditis at FDG-PET.

Purpose: This study aimed at determining the diagnostic implications of indirect signs of infection at FDG-PET-i.e., hypermetabolisms of the spleen and/or bone marrow (HSBM)-when documented in patients with known or suspected infective endocarditis (IE).

Integration of dynamic parameters in the analysis of F-FDopa PET imaging improves the prediction of molecular features of gliomas.

Purpose: F-FDopa PET imaging of gliomas is routinely interpreted with standardized uptake value (SUV)-derived indices. This study aimed to determine the added value of dynamic F-FDopa PET parameters for predicting the molecular features of newly diagnosed gliomas.

Methods: We retrospectively included 58 patients having undergone an F-FDopa PET for establishing the initial diagnosis of gliomas, whose molecular features were additionally characterized according to the WHO 2016 classification.