DMSA renal investigations performed with a 360° whole-body CZT SPECT camera as compared with the conventional method based on planar images from an Anger camera

244 Introduction: The whole-body VeritonTM 360° CZT-camera (Spectrum Dynamics Medical) is equipped with 12 swiveling high-resolution detectors regularly spaced over 360 degrees and covering an axial field-of view of 32 cm. These detectors may be placed in close proximity with the abdomen for adults or children and SPECT recordings may additionally be focalized on the kidney area. This study aimed to assess the results of DMSA renal scintigraphy recorded with the 360° CZT-SPECT system, as compared with results provided by conventional planar images from an Anger camera (Ecam, Siemens Healthineers). Methods: A total of 21 patients, with an age range from 6 months to 85 years (mean: 21±23 years) and who were referred for DMSA scintigraphy, were selected. The protocol involved conventional planar images on an Anger camera, equipped with a conventional high-resolution parallel hole collimator, immediately followed by an abdominal SPECT recording obtained with the CZT camera and with the addition (n=13) or not (n=8) of a focalized recording on the kidney area. Routine acquisition and reconstruction parameters were used for both cameras. The count sensitivity and the relative renal functions from right and left kidneys were compared between the two cameras, as well as the rate of visual detection of renal sequelae made by two experimented nuclear physicians. Results: Marked enhancements in count sensitivity were observed with the CZT-SPECT recording, as compared with the conventional planar recording, with mean relative increases of 70% and 180% for the recordings planned respectively without or with the use of a kidney focus. A close correlation was documented between the relative kidney functions determined with the CZT-SPECT and those obtained with the conventional camera (y=0.92x+3.9; R2=0.98) with a mean relative difference of only 2.2±1.9% between the two modalities. The visual identification of renal sequelae was concordant in 19 of the 21 patients (90%) and on the basis of additional clinical and imaging data, the 2 discordant cases were ultimately considered as corresponding to an accurate diagnosis for the CZT-camera and not for the Anger-camera (one false-positive result and one false-negative result for the latter). Images from these discordant cases are displayed in Figure 1. Conclusions: Results from the DMSA scintigraphy recorded with this CZT-SPECT camera are highly concordant with those from the conventional planar method, but with the advantages of: (i) high diagnostic quality provided by the 3-dimensional CZT-SPECT images and (ii) high count sensitivity using CZT-SPECT, a property that might allow reduction in scan recording times and/or injected doses.