Dynamic Data Processing

PCARDP implements the following features for data processing of dynamic PET data:

▪Calculation of anatomical images representing blood volume (BV) and myocardium (MYO) from the dynamic uptake series. Depending on the tracer, early and late images are averaged, or alternatively a factor analysis can be applied (water only).

▪Calculation of time-activity curves (TAC) from the left ventricle (LV), the right ventricle (RV), as well as from different segments of the myocardium.

▪Fitting of adequate kinetic models to the segmental TACs to quantify the tissue parameters such as perfusion or glucose consumption.

▪Calculation of parametric perfusion maps (for NH3 data only). Use of the perfusion maps to perform an analysis of the transmural perfusion gradient.

▪Combination of the results to quantify myocardium function in well-defined sectors specified by the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

▪Generation of a normals database from a set of quantification results obtained from a cohort of healthy volunteers. Subject results can then be compared against the normal database to quantify deviations in terms of z-scores.