Feasibility of shortened scan acquisition time with IQ-SPECT technology using SMARTZOOM(TM) collimator in myocardial perfusion imaging

TL;DR

This study shows that using the SMARTZOOM collimator with IQ-SPECT technology can halve scan time for heart imaging without losing quality.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the feasibility of reducing scan time to 7 seconds/view in myocardial perfusion imaging using SMARTZOOM collimator.

Findings

Image quality was comparable between 7 and 14 seconds/view scans with attenuation correction.

No significant differences were found in perfusion scores or ejection fraction between the two groups.

Shortening scan time to 7 seconds/view is feasible without compromising diagnostic results.

Abstract

IQ-SPECT technology uses cardiac-specific SMARTZOOM(TM) collimator that can reduce the time required to acquire myocardial perfusion images to half (14 seconds/view) of a standard SPECT procedure. This study aimed to further shorten the scan acquisition time (7 seconds/view) using the SMARTZOOM(TM) collimator without compromising the image quality.

This prospective observational study involved 50 patients (39 men and 11 women) who underwent myocardial perfusion studies using the SMARTZOOM(TM) collimator. The scans were acquired in 7 seconds/view (Group A) and 14 seconds/view (Group B). Attenuation-corrected (AC), non-attenuation-corrected (NAC), and polar maps were generated for both groups using the QGS/QPS software. The groups were qualitatively and quantitatively compared in terms of image quality, relative uptake score, summed scores, total perfusion deficit, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

The image quality of both groups was comparable in the AC studies, whereas Group B was superior to Group A in the NAC studies. All images exhibited an image quality score of ≥3, which suggested adequate image quality. The mean LVEF values were 62.16 and 64.34 in Groups A and B, respectively (p-value 0.326). A strong positive correlation was observed between the two datasets (Pearson’s r=0.59). The mean summed score in the AC images was 7.5 in both groups (p-value 0.49), and in the NAC images, the scores were 7.68 in Group A and 7.46 in Group B (p-value 0.46). The mean total perfusion deficits calculated using the 17-segment models were 11% and 16% in Group A and Group B, respectively, for the AC images (p-value 0.143) and 11.2% and 16.5% in Group A and Group B, respectively, for the NAC images (p-value 0.135). Significant differences were not noted in the calculation of the relative uptake score in segments 1– 17 for the AC and NAC images in Groups A and B.

The findings from this study indicate that further shortening of the scan acquisition time to 7 seconds/view is possible in myocardial perfusion imaging using the SMARTZOOM(TM) collimator without compromising the scan quality and the results, thus improving patient comfort.

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