University of California

Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation

Guobao Wang

Jinyi Qi

Ramsey D Badawi

Zhou Yu

Jian Zhou

Wenli Wang

Simon R Cherry

Souvik Sarkar

Xuezhu Zhang

The disclosed embodiments relate to a system that performs ultra-fast tracer imaging on a subject using positron emission tomography. During operation, the system performs a high-temporal-resolution, total-body dynamic PET scan on the subject as an intravenously injected radioactive tracer propagates through the vascular system of the subject to produce PET projection data. Next, the system applies an image reconstruction technique to the PET projection data to produce subsecond temporal frames, which illustrate the dynamic propagation of the radioactive tracer through the vascular system of the subject. Finally, the system outputs the temporal frames through a display device.

Ultrafast tracer imaging for positron emission tomography

Systems and methods are disclosed for quantifying blood flow using time-varying kinetic modeling of high temporal-resolution dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) data. A single tracer is introduced into the body. A first set of images is acquired, via PET, of at least a portion of the body at a plurality of predetermined time intervals. Based on the first set of images, an intensity of the tracer in the at least the portion of the body is determined as a function of time. The intensity of the tracer as a function of time is modeled using a time-varying kinetic model. Based on the model, the blood flow through the at least the portion of the body is quantified. Additional images may be acquired and used to quantify additional parameter(s), such as glucose metabolism, amyloid load, etc., with the single tracer.

Time-varying kinetic modeling of high temporal-resolution dynamic pet data for multiparametric imaging

A system and method for determining kinetic parameters associated with a kinetic model of an imaging agent in a liver is provided. An image reconstruction device can receive radiotracer activities corresponding to a predetermined time period. For example, these radiotracer activities can include PET scan data corresponding to a number of time frames. The radiotracer activities can be used to determine a liver time activity curve and a circulatory input function. The liver time activity curve and circulatory input function can be used along with a kinetic model of the liver to produce kinetic parameters. These kinetic parameters can be used to determine hepatic scores, such as a hepatic steatosis score, a hepatic inflammation score, and a cirrhosis score. These scores are indicative of diseases of the liver, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and hepatic fibrosis.

Hepatic inflammation analysis with dynamic PET

A method and apparatus is provided to iteratively reconstruct a computed tomography (CT) image using a hybrid pre-log and post-log iterative reconstruction method. A pre-log formulation is applied to values of the projection data that are less than a threshold (e.g., X-ray intensities corresponding to high absorption trajectories). The pre-log formulation has better noise modeling and better image quality for reconstructed images, but is slow to converge. Projection data values above the threshold are processed using a post-log formulation, which has fast convergence but poorer noise handling. However, the poorer noise handling has little effect on high value projection data. Thus, the hybrid pre-log and post-log method provides improved image quality by more accurately modeling the noise of low count projection data, without sacrificing the fast convergence of the post-log method, which is applied to high-count projection data.

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Woodland, CA, United States of America

Guobao Wang