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Project

Novel image processing methods for assessing myocardial energetics from FDG-PET/CT and 4D anatomical imaging

The measurement of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake by positron emission tomography (PET) is a validated and robust way to investigate myocardial glucose metabolism. However, the use of PET imaging for cardiac applications is challenged by: 
- the low spatial resolution of the clinical PET scanners, which results in blurring and does not 
allow for accurate quantification of very thin or small structures (partial volume effect, PVE) 
- the moving nature of the heart and the organs around it. 
The contribution of motion to cardiac images can be mitigated with different motion correction techniques. One of the most common and straightforward methods, although not optimal for image quality, is to sort the PET dataset into a set of frames corresponding to the different phases of the periodic motion (gating), and then independently reconstruct and use each of them. The issue related to PVE has also been previously addressed. Among all available techniques, coupling PET data with information coming from imaging modalities that provide valuable anatomical information at higher resolution, like CT or MR, during the PET reconstruction (partial volume correction, PVC) has been proven promising in brain. The application of such a partial volume correction technique to a measured PET dataset relies on a good alignment between the anatomical image and the low-resolution PET. Hence, any source of misregistration needs to be avoided. In this scenario, PET attenuation correction might play a role in compromising the registration results, and subsequent PVC. 
The aim of this project is to develop, test and validate image processing algorithms that enable the motion compensation and anatomy-guided partial volume correction of cardiac FDG-PET images, in order to provide a more accurate extraction of parameters representing the regional energy consumption in the left ventricle (LV). The study of the relationship between the oxidative metabolism (as a measure of energy consumption) and the regional myocardial deformation as measured with echo, MR or other functional measurements, will ultimately help to better select patients for, and foresee the impact of, cardiac resynchronization therapy in the clinical practice.  

Date:1 Oct 2012 →  21 Jul 2017
Keywords:image processing methods, 4D, FDG-PET/CT, assessing myocardial energetics, anatomical imaging
Disciplines:Cardiac and vascular medicine
Project type:PhD project