The importance of the accuracy of image registration of SPECT images for 3D targeted radionuclide therapy dosimetry.

In this paper, the importance of the accuracy of image registration of time-sequential SPECT images for 3D targeted radionuclide therapy dosimetry is studied. Image registration of a series of SPECT scans is required to allow the computation of the 3D absorbed dose distribution for both tumour sites and normal organs. Three simulated 4D datasets, based on patient therapy studies, were generated to allow the effect of mis-registration on the absorbed dose distribution to be investigated. The tumour sites studied range in size, shape and position, relative to the centre of the 3D SPECT scan. Randomly generated transformations along the x-, y- and z-axes and rotations around the z-axis were employed and the maximum and average absorbed dose distribution statistics, for the tumour sites present, were computed. It was shown that even small mis-registrations, translation of less than 9 mm and rotation of less than 5 degrees might cause differences in the absorbed dose statistics of up to 90%, especially when the size of the tumour is comparable to the induced mis-registration or when the tumour is situated close to the edge of the 3D dataset.