Noninvasive bi-graphical analysis for the quantification of slowly reversible radioligand binding

Phys Med Biol. 2016 Sep 21;61(18):6770-6790. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/61/18/6770. Epub 2016 Aug 31.

Abstract

In this paper, we presented a novel reference-region-based (noninvasive) bi-graphical analysis for the quantification of a reversible radiotracer binding that may be too slow to reach relative equilibrium (RE) state during positron emission tomography (PET) scans. The proposed method indirectly implements the noninvasive Logan plot, through arithmetic combination of the parameters of two other noninvasive methods and the apparent tissue-to-plasma efflux rate constant for the reference region ([Formula: see text]). We investigated its validity and statistical properties, by performing a simulation study with various noise levels and [Formula: see text] values, and also evaluated its feasibility for [18F]FP-CIT PET in human brain. The results revealed that the proposed approach provides distribution volume ratio estimation comparable to the Logan plot at low noise levels while improving underestimation caused by non-RE state differently depending on [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, the proposed method was able to avoid noise-induced bias of the Logan plot, and the variability of its results was less dependent on [Formula: see text] than the Logan plot. Therefore, this approach, without issues related to arterial blood sampling given a pre-estimate of [Formula: see text] (e.g. population-based), could be useful in parametric image generation for slow kinetic tracers staying in a non-RE state within a PET scan.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Algorithms*
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging*
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Computer Simulation
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Humans
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Kinetics
  • Middle Aged
  • Parkinson Disease / diagnostic imaging*
  • Parkinson Disease / metabolism
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / methods*
  • Tropanes / metabolism*

Substances

  • Tropanes
  • 2-carbomethoxy-8-(3-fluoropropyl)-3-(4-iodophenyl)tropane