A recent study at the University of Eastern Finland has led to the development of a novel technique which reduces image degradation caused by respiratory motion during a PET scan. PET scanning is routinely used to detect cancer and heart conditions. The new technique presented in the PhD thesis of Tuomas Koivumäki, MSc (Tech.), is based on bioimpedance measurement and it allows for image reconstruction at a specific phase of the patient's breathing pattern. This, in turn, makes it possible to reduce image degradation caused by motion.
In the future, the newly developed technique will enable increasingly accurate image acquisition especially during PET scans performed to detect cancers of the chest and upper abdomen, and inflammatory diseases of the heart. PET scanning, or positron emission tomography, is a modern nuclear medicine imaging method, which allows for the detection of cancer and heart conditions.
Thanks to enhanced image quality, PET images provide new and increasingly accurate data, potentially improving diagnosis reliability and treatment response monitoring. High-quality image data makes the treatment more efficient both medically and financially.
The study found that when synchronising images on the basis of bioimpedance, it was possible to discern smaller details. Motion compensation also significantly influenced the parameters measured from the images. Bioimpedance measurement offers a straightforward technique for acquiring the data needed for motion compensation. Furthermore, the technique can be easily integrated into electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement, which is widely used to monitor heart function during the scan.
Bioimpedance helps assess the patient's breathing
In techniques based on bioimpedance measurement, a very weak electrical current is passed through the patient's chest, and changes in the resulting voltage are measured. The voltage has been observed to change according to the patient's breathing and cardiac function. Earlier, bioimpedance measurements have been used to assess for example body composition, fluid accumulations in lungs, and indicators of cardiac function.
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Motion degrades PET scan image quality
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Source-Eurekalert