The influence of Q.Clear reconstruction on the contrast recovery coefficient and semi-quantitative parameters of NEMA phantom imaging

Background: The aim of the study is to optimise the value of B parameter (beta), which is used in the Q.Clear reconstruction in the imaging of neuroendocrine tumours. The study is divided into two parts: analysis of phantom data aiming at selection of the appropriate beta for small changes, and then assessment of its impact on the quality of patients' images. The literature data on the optimal beta value are inconclusive. Furthermore, the suggested values are not the result of the semi-quantitative assessment of Standard Uptake Volume (SUV) or the proper verification based on, for example, phantom studies using the known activity. Results: The obtained results show that beta increase raises the image uniformity in the Q.Clear reconstruction algorithm. Also, referring to the scientific reports, one can see that the signal to noise ratio in the image increases. The effect of the beta change on the SUV mean and Contrast Recovery Coefficient (CRC) value is greatest for the smallest objects. The decrease of this parameter is also much higher with lower values of activity (a lower counts statistic in the PET system). Conclusions: An increase of beta has an adverse effect on the quality of a semi-quantitative assessment of SUV - as the parameter increases, the SUV and CRC values decrease. In the visual assessment, a satisfactory image quality is present with beta = 450. Based on the analysis of SUV and CRC, an appropriate range of beta values was selected as 350-450. At the selected range, a retrospective analysis of the clinical images of neuroendocrine tumours will be performed in the future and the impact of the change on the semi-quantitative analysis of pathological changes will be verified.