Project details

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Dose reduction and scan time variations in infection and inflammation imaging using 18F-FDG PET/CT

Keywords:
Nuclear Medicine Infection and inflammation

Researchers:
prof. dr. A.W.J.M. Glaudemans
dr. M. Wouthuyzen-Bakker
dr. F.F.A. IJpma
drs. N.D. van Rijsewijk
P. van Snick MSc

Type of project:
Stage Wetenschap / Researchproject

Nature of the research:
retrospective clinical research, image analysis

Fields of study:
nuclear medicine

Background / introduction
Infection and inflammation imaging using nuclear medicine techniques play a pivotal role in diagnosing and monitoring various medical conditions. The most widely used radiopharmaceutical for this purpose is 18F-FDG (18F-fluorodeoxyglucose), which is taken up by cells with increased metabolic activity, such as those involved in infection and inflammation. However, in nuclear medicine, there’s a constant quest to optimize imaging protocols to minimize radiation exposure while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
18F-FDG PET/CT scans for infection and inflammation can be analyzed retrospectively on the quality and diagnostic efficacy of the imaging results, specifically investigating the impact of already implied dose reduction and scan time variations. The traditional protocol on our new Quadra PET/CT system involved administering 3 MBq per kg body weight of 18F-FDG and acquiring scans over a 10-minute time period. However, recently (Jan 1, 2023) we adjusted this protocol dose to 2MBq/kg and shortening the scan time to only 3 minutes. Understanding the implications of these changes is essential to ensure both patient safety and the effectiveness of diagnostic procedures.
Research question / problem definition
Possible research questions for this project are:
1. Do variations in radiopharmaceutical dose (3 MBq/kg vs. 2 MBq/kg) affect the quality and diagnostic accuracy of infection and inflammation 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging?
2. Do variations in scan time (10 minutes vs. 3 minutes) affect the quality and diagnostic accuracy of infection and inflammation 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging?
Workplan
After reviewing the literature, the student will think about and set up a database on infection and inflammation 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging, including scans using the old and the new protocol. The student will collect data from the electronic medical record system and the student will have the opportunity to get familiarized with PET/CT analyses (both visual and quantitative) under direct supervision. The collected data will be (statistically) analyzed by the student to compare the outcomes for the different dose and/or scan time variations. The findings have to be interpreted in the context of the existing literature and discussed, with future prospectives included.
An active contribution of the student towards answering (part of) this projects’ research question(s) can lead to a co-authorship. The multidisciplinary nature of this project allows to organize a shadow day in the various disciplines during the project.
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