A study on usefulness evaluation of SUV measured in mini-PACS for each one of PET/CT equipment.

To save and analyze the data from a positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan, it is sometimes important to use a server away from the workstation of the equipment or to install and operate mini-picture archiving and communication system (PACS). Mini-PACS was developed to save the data from a scan and measure the standard uptake value (SUV) in PACS that could be measured only in PET/CT equipment manufactured by many companies. Against this background, this study examined whether the SUV measured in PET/CT equipment was the same value in mini-PACS. This study evaluated Biograph 16 and Biograph 40 manufactured by SIEMENS and Discovery Ste 8 manufactured by GE, all of which are installed in this hospital. The SUV of the aorta of 30 patients, who had undergone an (18)F-FDG whole body PET scan in the period from February to October 2012, was measured at the height of the liver and mediastinum. In the mini-PACS program, the SUV was also measured and analyzed in an image with the same phase. According to the study results, the coefficient of the SUV of the liver in PET/CT equipment and mini-PACS was 0.99, 0.98, and 0.64 in Biograph 16, Biograph 40, and Discovery Ste 8, respectively, where the coefficient of the SUV of aorta was 0.98, 0.98, and 0.66 in Biograph 16, Biograph 40, and Discovery Ste 8, showing a positive correlation in all equipment.