Assessment of sestamibi CZT-SPECT reconstructed using deep-learning-based virtual attenuation correction maps according to coronary artery territory and with comparison to rubidium-PET.

Background: Attenuation artifacts affect the analysis of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging, especially in the right coronary artery (RCA) territory, although computed tomography (CT)-based attenuation corrections minimize this issue. This study aims to assess stress-rest [Tc]sestamibi cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)-SPECT reconstructed using deep-learning-based attenuation correction (DLAC) maps according to coronary artery territory and with comparison to [Rb]rubidium-positron emission tomography (Rb-PET) conventionally reconstructed with CT-based attenuation correction.

Methods: We compared stress-rest [Tc]sestamibi CZT-SPECT reconstructed without (i.

PET-based response assessment criteria for diffuse gliomas (PET RANO 1.0): methodological application in [F]-FDOPA PET imaging.

Background: The Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) group recently reported PET-based response assessment criteria for diffuse gliomas (PET RANO 1.0). The objective of this study was to evaluate the methodological application of these criteria for the amino acid [F]-FDOPA radiotracer.

Persistent somatostatin PET signs of inflammatory cells 4 to 5 months after acute myocarditis are linked to a poorer recovery of cardiac function.

Purpose: Acute Myocarditis (AM) was recently shown to be detected by the Somatostatin Positron Emission Tomography (PET) criterion of > 18 cm Myocardial Uptake Volume (MUV), a sign of significant inflammatory cell infiltration. This study characterizes patients for whom this criterion persists 4 to 5 months after AM.

Methods: Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) and [ Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC PET data from 27 AM patients (2 women, median age 26.

Assessment of [Lu]Lu-DOTATATE Dosimetry from High-Speed Whole-Body Recordings Provided by a 360° Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride Camera Compared with Results from a Conventional Anger-Camera Protocol.

Absorbed doses (ADs) may be calculated through serial conventional SPECT imaging after therapeutic [Lu]Lu-DOTATATE injection but with recording times too long for clinical routine. The aim of this study was to determine whether activity concentrations and ADs calculated from a high-speed whole-body 360° cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) SPECT camera are comparable to those provided by conventional SPECT. Fifteen patients referred for [Lu]Lu-DOTATATE treatment were enrolled and underwent, at 24, 96, and 168 h after [Lu]Lu-DOTATATE injection, 32 min of thoracoabdominopelvic conventional SPECT recording and 18 min of whole-body CZT SPECT recording.

Early Perfusion [ 123 I]FP-CIT SPECT Imaging With a 360-degree CZT Camera in Dementia With Lewy Bodies.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) can be diagnosed through a combination of clinical criteria, the loss of dopaminergic neuron terminals in presynaptic [ 123 I]FP-CIT SPECT dopaminergic imaging, and diffuse [ 18 F]FDG PET hypometabolism, which typically affects also the visual cortex. A 360-degree CZT SPECT systems offer advantages in terms of count sensitivity, and both contrast and energy resolution for perfusion and dopaminergic imaging as compared with conventional SPECT systems. As it happens for PET imaging protocols, a dual-time-window protocol with CZT SPECT imaging was used for a suspected DLB patient to capture both perfusion and dopaminergic states.

Standardized uptake value-based analysis of two-phase whole-body bone tomoscintigraphies recorded with a high-speed 360° CZT camera in patients with known or suspected inflammatory arthritis.

Purpose: 360° CZT-cameras provide whole-body bone SPECT/CT recordings at delayed (DEL) and blood-pool (BP) phases with short recording times but long visual analysis times. This study aims to determine whether a standardized uptake value (SUV)-based detection of inflammatory arthritis (IA) could facilitate this analysis.

Methods: We included 72 patients with known or suspected IA who underwent two-phase whole-body bone SPECT/CT after 550-650 MBq [Tc]Tc-HDP injection.

Clinical impact of an explainable machine learning with amino acid PET imaging: application to the diagnosis of aggressive glioma.

Purpose: Radiomics-based machine learning (ML) models of amino acid positron emission tomography (PET) images have shown efficiency in glioma prediction tasks. However, their clinical impact on physician interpretation remains limited. This study investigated whether an explainable radiomics model modifies nuclear physicians' assessment of glioma aggressiveness at diagnosis.

Diagnostic accuracy of low-dose myocardial perfusion imaging in a real-world setting.

Background: This large-scale study analyzes factors affecting the 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.

Combining pleasant Olfactory and BRAin stimulations in treatment-resistant depression (COBRA): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Anhedonia, including social, physical, and less-known, olfactory, stands as a core symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD). At the neurobiological level, anhedonia has been associated with abnormal activity within the reward system, suggesting a key role for dopamine. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as an innovative treatment for alleviating depressive symptoms.

360° CZT-SPECT/CT cameras: Tc- and Lu-phantom-based evaluation under clinical conditions.

Purpose: For the first time, three currently available 360° CZT-SPECT/CT cameras were compared under clinical conditions using phantom-based measurements.

Methods: A Tc- and a Lu-customized NEMA IEC body phantom were imaged with three different cameras, StarGuide (GE Healthcare), VERITON-CT versions 200 (V200) and 400 (V400) (Spectrum Dynamics Medical) under the same clinical conditions. Energy resolution and volumetric sensitivity were evaluated from energy spectra.

Head-to-Head Comparison Between F-FDG PET and Leukocyte Scintigraphy to Monitor Treatment Responses in Necrotizing Otitis Externa.

Background: Necrotizing otitis externa (NOE) is a rare disease associated with high morbidity and mortality, and there is currently no available accurate biomarker to assess treatment responses. The aim of the current study was to evaluate and directly compare the diagnostic performances of 18-Fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-FDG PET) and labeled leukocyte scintigraphy (LS) to monitor treatment responses in NOE.

Methods: Consecutive patients with NOE who underwent F-FDG PET at the end of antibiotic therapy and planar as well as single photon emission computed tomography-labeled leukocyte scintigraphy after completing the initial antibiotic treatment were retrospectively included.

EANM position paper on challenges and opportunities of full-ring 360° CZT bone imaging: it's time to let go of planar whole-body bone imaging.

The introduction of smaller footprint, more sensitive Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT)-based detectors with improved spatial and energy resolution has enabled the design of innovative full-ring 360° CZT SPECT/CT systems (e.g., VERITON and StarGuide™).

177Lu-labeled somatostatin receptor targeted radionuclide therapy dosimetry in meningioma: a systematic review.

Introduction: Few therapeutic options are currently available for refractory meningiomas. Encouraging results have been reported for Lu-labeled somatostatin receptor-targeted radiopeptide therapy (SSTR-RT). The current therapeutic scheme is based on the fixed doses that are recommended for neuroendocrine tumor treatment.

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.

Eye-tracking evidence of a relationship between attentional bias for emotional faces and depression severity in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

In a retrospective study, 54 patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (TRD) completed a free-viewing task in which they had to freely explore pairs of faces (an emotional face (happy or sad) opposite to a neutral face). Attentional bias to emotional faces was calculated for early and sustained attention. We observed a significant negative correlation between depression severity as measured by the 10-item Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and sustained attention to happy faces.

The role of [18 F]FDOPA PET as an adjunct to conventional MRI in the diagnosis of aggressive glial lesions.

Background: Amino acid PET is recommended for the initial diagnosis of brain lesions, but its value for identifying aggressive lesions remains to be established. The current study therefore evaluates the added-value of dynamic [18 F]FDOPA PET as an adjunct to conventional MRI for determining the aggressiveness of presumed glial lesions at diagnosis.

Methods: Consecutive patients, with a minimal 1 year-follow-up, underwent contrast-enhanced MRI (CE MRI) and dynamic [18 F]FDOPA PET to characterize their suspected glial lesion.

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).

Application of PET imaging delta radiomics for predicting progression-free survival in rare high-grade glioma.

This study assesses the feasibility of using a sample-efficient model to investigate radiomics changes over time for predicting progression-free survival in rare diseases. Eighteen high-grade glioma patients underwent two L-3,4-dihydroxy-6-[F]-fluoro-phenylalanine positron emission tomography (PET) dynamic scans: the first during treatment and the second at temozolomide chemotherapy discontinuation. Radiomics features from static/dynamic parametric images, alongside conventional features, were extracted.

Combining a Breath-Synchronized Olfactometer with Brain Simulation to Study the Impact of Odors on Corticospinal Excitability and Effective Connectivity.

It is widely accepted that olfactory stimulation elicits motor behaviors, such as approaching pleasant odorants and avoiding unpleasant ones, in animals and humans. Recently, studies using electroencephalography and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have demonstrated a strong link between processing in the olfactory system and activity in the motor cortex in humans. To better understand the interactions between the olfactory and the motor systems and to overcome some of the previous methodological limitations, we developed a new method combining an olfactometer that synchronizes the random order presentation of odorants with different hedonic values and the TMS (single- and dual-coil) triggering with nasal breathing phases.

Effects of medication on dopamine transporter imaging using [I]I-FP-CIT SPECT in routine practice.

Purpose: Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging is used to support the diagnosis of neurodegenerative parkinsonian disorders. Specific medications have been reported to confound the interpretation of [I]I-FP-CIT SPECT scans, but there is limited data. The aim of the current study is to identify potential medication effects on the interpretation of [I]I-FP-CIT SPECT scans in routine practice.

177Lu-PSMA Treatment Monitoring Through Serial Fast Whole-Body Tomoscintigraphies Recorded With a Latest-Generation CZT-Camera.

The tomoscintigraphy monitoring of 177Lu-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) treatment may be helpful for quality control and predicting therapeutic response. Furthermore, the drawbacks of relatively low image quality and extended recording times can be overcome by new CZT-cameras providing fast, high-quality, whole-body recordings. Although still requiring further larger-scale confirmation, the current case report demonstrates that these CZT-cameras have the potential to provide straightforward and comprehensive 177Lu-PSMA treatment monitoring, that is, <20-minute whole-body tomoscintigraphy recording, tumor activities concordant with those from 68Ga-PSMA PET, and no requirement for any additional tracer injection.

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.