Respiratory Motion Detection and Correction in ECG-Gated SPECT: a New Approach

Ahmad Bitarafan,Hossein Rajabi,Bernhard Gruy,Feridoon Rustgou,Hasan Firoozabady,Nahid Yaghoobi,Hadi Malek,Christian Pirich,Werner Langesteger,Mohsen Beheshti 대한영상의학회 2008 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.9 No.6

Objective: Gated myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (GSPECT) has been established as an accurate and reproducible diagnostic and prognostic technique for the assessment of myocardial perfusion and function. Respiratory motion is among the major factors that may affect the quality of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and consequently the accuracy of the examination. In this study, we have proposed a new approach for the tracking of respiratory motion and the correction of unwanted respiratory motion by the use of respiratory-cardiac gated-SPECT (RC-GSPECT). In addition, we have evaluated the use of RC-GSPECT for quantitative and visual assessment of myocardial perfusion and function. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD)-underwent two-day stress and rest 99mTc-Tetrofosmin myocardial scintigraphy using both conventional GSPECT and RC-GSPECT methods. The respiratory signals were induced by use of a CT real-time position management (RPM) respiratory gating interface. A PIO-D144 card, which is transistor-transistor logic (TTL) compatible, was used as the input interface for simultaneous detection of both ECG and respiration signals. Results: A total of 26 patients with known or suspected CAD were examined in this study. Stress and rest myocardial respiratory motion in the vertical direction was 8.8-16.6 mm (mean, 12.4 ± 2.9 mm) and 7.8-11.8 mm (mean, 9.5 ± 1.6 mm), respectively. The percentages of tracer intensity in the inferior, inferoseptal and septal walls as well as the inferior to lateral (I/L) uptake ratio was significantly higher with the use of RC-GSPECT as compared to the use of GSPECT (p < 0.01). In a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) correlation analysis between the use of rest GSPECT and RC-GSPECT with echocardiography, better correlation was noted between RC-GSPECT and echocardiography as compared with the use of GSPECT (y = 0.9654x + 1.6514; r = 0.93, p < 0.001 versus y = 0.8046x + 5.1704; r = 0.89, p < 0.001). Nineteen (19/26) patients (73.1%) showed abnormal myocardial perfusion scans with reversible regional myocardial defects; of the 19 patients, 14 (14/26) patients underwent coronary angiography. Conclusion: Respiratory induced motion can be successfully corrected simultaneously with the use of ECG-gated SPECT in MPI studies using this proposed technique. Moreover, the use of ECG-gated SPECT improved image quality, especially in the inferior and septal regions that are mostly affected by diaphragmatic attenuation. However, the effect of respiratory correction depends mainly on the patient respiratory pattern and may be clinically relevant in certain cases. Objective: Gated myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (GSPECT) has been established as an accurate and reproducible diagnostic and prognostic technique for the assessment of myocardial perfusion and function. Respiratory motion is among the major factors that may affect the quality of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and consequently the accuracy of the examination. In this study, we have proposed a new approach for the tracking of respiratory motion and the correction of unwanted respiratory motion by the use of respiratory-cardiac gated-SPECT (RC-GSPECT). In addition, we have evaluated the use of RC-GSPECT for quantitative and visual assessment of myocardial perfusion and function. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD)-underwent two-day stress and rest 99mTc-Tetrofosmin myocardial scintigraphy using both conventional GSPECT and RC-GSPECT methods. The respiratory signals were induced by use of a CT real-time position management (RPM) respiratory gating interface. A PIO-D144 card, which is transistor-transistor logic (TTL) compatible, was used as the input interface for simultaneous detection of both ECG and respiration signals. Results: A total of 26 patients with known or suspected CAD were examined in this study. Stress and rest myocardial respiratory motion in the vertical direction was 8.8-16.6 mm (mean, 12.4 ± 2.9 mm) and 7.8-11.8 mm (mean, 9.5 ± 1.6 mm), respectively. The percentages of tracer intensity in the inferior, inferoseptal and septal walls as well as the inferior to lateral (I/L) uptake ratio was significantly higher with the use of RC-GSPECT as compared to the use of GSPECT (p < 0.01). In a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) correlation analysis between the use of rest GSPECT and RC-GSPECT with echocardiography, better correlation was noted between RC-GSPECT and echocardiography as compared with the use of GSPECT (y = 0.9654x + 1.6514; r = 0.93, p < 0.001 versus y = 0.8046x + 5.1704; r = 0.89, p < 0.001). Nineteen (19/26) patients (73.1%) showed abnormal myocardial perfusion scans with reversible regional myocardial defects; of the 19 patients, 14 (14/26) patients underwent coronary angiography. Conclusion: Respiratory induced motion can be successfully corrected simultaneously with the use of ECG-gated SPECT in MPI studies using this proposed technique. Moreover, the use of ECG-gated SPECT improved image quality, especially in the inferior and septal regions that are mostly affected by diaphragmatic attenuation. However, the effect of respiratory correction depends mainly on the patient respiratory pattern and may be clinically relevant in certain cases.

Improvement in the Accuracy of Respiratory-gated Radiation Therapy Using a Respiratory Guiding System

강승희,김동수,김태호,서태석,윤제웅 한국물리학회 2013 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.62 No.1

The accuracy of respiratory-gated radiation therapy (RGRT) depends on the respiratory regularity because external respiratory signals are used for gating the radiation beam at particular phases. Many studies have applied a respiratory guiding system to improve the respiratory regularity. This study aims to evaluate the effect of an in-house-developed respiratory guiding system to improve the respiratory regularity for RGRT. To verify the effectiveness of this system, we acquired respiratory signals from five volunteers. The improvement in respiratory regularity was analyzed by comparing the standard deviations of the amplitudes and the periods between free and guided breathing. The reduction in residual motion at each phase was analyzed by comparing the standard deviations of sorted data within each corresponding phase bin as obtained from free and guided breathing. The results indicate that the respiratory guiding system improves the respiratory regularity, and that most of the volunteers showed significantly less average residual motion at each phase. The average residual motion measured at phases of 40, 50, and 60%, which showed lower variation than other phases, were, respectively, reduced by 41, 45, and 44% during guided breathing. The results show that the accuracy of RGRT can be improved by using the in-house-developed respiratory guiding system. Furthermore, this system should reduce artifacts caused by respiratory motion in 4D CT imaging.

Combined Electrocardiography- and RespiratoryTriggered CT of the Lung to Reduce Respiratory Misregistration Artifacts between Imaging Slabs in Free-Breathing Children: Initial Experience

구현우,Thomas Allmendinger 대한영상의학회 2017 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.18 No.5

Objective: Cardiac and respiratory motion artifacts degrade the image quality of lung CT in free-breathing children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of combined electrocardiography (ECG) and respiratory triggering on respiratory misregistration artifacts on lung CT in free-breathing children. Materials and Methods: In total, 15 children (median age 19 months, range 6 months–8 years; 7 boys), who underwent freebreathing ECG-triggered lung CT with and without respiratory-triggering were included. A pressure-sensing belt of a respiratory gating system was used to obtain the respiratory signal. The degree of respiratory misregistration artifacts between imaging slabs was graded on a 4-point scale (1, excellent image quality) on coronal and sagittal images and compared between ECGtriggered lung CT studies with and without respiratory triggering. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Lung CT with combined ECG and respiratory triggering showed significantly less respiratory misregistration artifacts than lung CT with ECG triggering only (1.1 ± 0.4 vs. 2.2 ± 1.0, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Additional respiratory-triggering reduces respiratory misregistration artifacts on ECG-triggered lung CT in freebreathing children.

새로운 호흡기 장애 판정 기준의 제안

박주헌 ( Joo Hun Park ),이재승 ( Jae Seung Lee ),허진원 ( Jin-Won Huh ),오연목 ( Yeon-Mok Oh ),이상도 ( Sang-Do Lee ),이세원 ( Sei Won Lee ),윤호일 ( Ho Il Yoon ),김덕겸 ( Deog Kyeom Kim ),이창훈 ( Chang Hoon Lee ),박명재 ( Myung 대한결핵 및 호흡기학회 2011 Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases Vol.70 No.3

Social welfare services for respiratory-disabled persons in Korea are offered based on the respiratory impairment grade, which is determined by 3 clinical parameters; dyspnea, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and arterial oxygen tension. This grading system has several limitations in the objective assessment of respiratory impairment. We reviewed several guidelines for the evaluation of respiratory impairment and relevant articles. Then, we discussed a new grading system with respiratory physicians. Both researchers and respiratory physicians agreed that pulmonary function tests are essential in assessing the severity of respiratory impairment, forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1 and single breath diffusing capacity (DLco) are the primarily recommended tests. In addition, we agreed that arterial blood gas analysis should be reserved for selected patients. In conclusion, we propose a new respiratory impairment grading system utilizing a combination FVC, FEV1 and DLco scores, with more social discussion included.

PET/CT 검사에서 Flow mode를 적용한 Respiratory Gating Method 촬영과 추가 Gating 촬영의 비교 및 유용성 평가

장동훈,김경훈,이진형,조현덕,박소현,박영재,이인원,Jang, Donghoon,Kim, Kyunghun,Lee, Jinhyung,Cho, Hyunduk,Park, Sohyun,Park, Youngjae,Lee, Inwon 대한핵의학기술학회 2017 핵의학 기술 Vol.21 No.1

폐암(Lung cancer) 환자의 경우 PET/CT 검사에서 호흡으로 인하여 영상의 정합오차가 발생하게 되는데 이로 인해 정확한 SUV 와 Tumor volume측정을 방해하는 요인으로 작용된다. $SUV_{max}$를 이용하여 폐암 환자의 수술 후 예측 및 항암화학요법의 효과를 평가하고 있으며, 방사선치료의 예후 예측 및 평가를 위해 현재 Tumor volume과 SUV를 이용한 지표가 사용되고 있다. 그렇기 때문에 정합오차를 줄이기 위해 본원에서는 Respiratory gating method를 적용하여 검사를 시행하고 있다. 본 연구는 Step and Go 방식이 아닌 Flow mode를 적용하여 Non-gating 영상과 첫 번째 Respiratory Gating영상, 그리고 추가로 부분 Respiratory gating 촬영하여 Respiratory gating method의 유용성에대해 알아보았다. 2016년 6월부터 2016년 9월까지 분당서울대학교병원에서 PET/CT 검사를 한 폐암 환자 20명(남:12명, 여:8명)을 대상으로 amplitude rang 15% 미만인 호흡이 안정한 환자군 10명 15%초과한 호흡이 불안정한 환자군 10명으로 나누어 비교분석하였다. 전체 환자에서 Non-gating 영상의 $SUV_{max}$는 $9.43{\pm}3.93$, $SUV_{mean}$은 $1.77{\pm}0.89$, Tumor Volume은 $4.17{\pm}2.41$로 측정되었고 기존 Gating 영상에서 $SUV_{max}$는 $10.08{\pm}4.07$, $SUV_{mean}$은 $1.75{\pm}0.81$, Tumor Volume은 $3.56{\pm}2.11$로 측정되었다. 그리고 추가 Lung gating 영상에서 $SUV_{max}$는 $10.86{\pm}4.36$, $SUV_{mean}$은 $1.77{\pm}0.85$, Tumor volume은 $3.36{\pm}1.98$을 얻었다. Non-gating 영상과 기존 Gating 영상, 그리고 기존 Gating 영상과 추가 Lung gating 영상을 비교했을 때 둘 다 $SUV_{mean}$ 값에서 통계적으로 유의한 차이를 보이지 않았으나(P>0.05) $SUV_{max}$와 Tumor volume에서 유의한 차이를 보였다(P<0.05). 그중 호흡이 안정한 환자군보다 호흡이 불안정한 환자군에서의 증감률이 더 크게 나타났다. Amplitude range 폭은 전체 20명 중 12명(Signal이 안정된 환자 3명 불안정한 환자 9명)이 추가 Lung gating을 했을 때 기존 Gating 영상보다 더 낮게 나타났다. 본 연구에 의하면 Flow mode를 적용하여 Respiration Gating Method로 촬영한 결과 추가적인 CT 촬영 없이 호흡으로 인해 발생하는 병변의 움직임을 보정해 주어 $SUV_{max}$, Tumor volume을 Non-gating 영상보다 더 정확하게 측정할 수 있었다. 그리고 처음 Gating 할 때보다 추가 촬영 시 호흡의 안정에 따른 Amplitude range 폭의 낮아짐을 알 수 있었다. 따라서 Gating 영상이 Non-gating 영상보다 진단에 더 유용한 정보를 제공함을 알 수 있었고, Signal이 불규칙적인 환자에게 시간적 여유가 있다면 추가로 부분 촬영을 하는 것이 도움이 될 것이라고 사료된다. Purpose The present study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the respiratory gating method used in the flow mode and additional localized respiratory-gated imaging, which differs from the step and go method. Materials and Methods Respiratory gated imaging was performed in the flow mode to twenty patients with lung cancer (10 patients with stable signals and 10 patients with unstable signals), who underwent PET/CT scanning of the torso using Biograph mCT Flow PET/CT at Bundang Seoul University Hospital from June 2016 to September 2016. Additional images of the lungs were obtained by using the respiratory gating method. SUVmax, SUVmean, and Tumor Volume ($cm^3$) of non-gating images, gating images, and additional lung gating images were found with Syngo,bia (Siemens, Germany). A paired t-test was performed with GraphPad Prism6, and changes in the width of the amplitude range were compared between the two types of gating images. Results The following results were obtained from all patients when the respiratory gating method was applied: $SUV_{max}=9.43{\pm}3.93$, $SUV_{mean}=1.77{\pm}0.89$, and $Tumor\;Volume=4.17{\pm}2.41$ for the non-gating images, $SUV_{max}=10.08{\pm}4.07$, $SUV_{mean}=1.75{\pm}0.81$, and $Tumor\;Volume=3.56{\pm}2.11$ for the gating images, and $SUV_{max}=10.86{\pm}4.36$, $SUV_{mean}=1.77{\pm}0.85$, $Tumor\;Volume=3.36{\pm}1.98$ for the additional lung gating images. No statistically significant difference in the values of $SUV_{mean}$ was found between the non-gating and gating images, and between the gating and lung gating images (P>0.05). A significant difference in the values of $SUV_{max}$ and Tumor Volume were found between the aforementioned groups (P<0.05). The width of the amplitude range was smaller for lung gating images than gating images for 12 from 20 patients (3 patients with stable signals, 9 patients with unstable signals). Conclusion In PET/CT scanning using the respiratory gating method in the flow mode, any lesion movements caused by respiration were adjusted; therefore, more accurate measurements of $SUV_{max}$, and Tumor Volume could be obtained from the gating images than the non-gating images in this study. In addition, the width of the amplitude range decreased according to the stability of respiration to a more significant degree in the additional lung gating images than the gating images. We found that gating images provide information that is more useful for diagnosis than the one provided by non-gating images. For patients with irregular signals, it may be helpful to perform localized scanning additionally if time allows.

Changes in the Planning Target Volume and Liver Volume Dose Based on the Selected Respiratory Phase in Respiratory-gated Radiation Therapy for a Hepatocellular Carcinoma

김재승,임인철,강수만,구은회,백성민 한국물리학회 2013 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.63 No.9

The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyze the changes in the planning target volume(PTV) and liver volume dose based on the respiratory phase to identify the optimal respiratoryphase for respiratory-gated radiation therapy for a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Based on thestandardized procedure for respiratory-gated radiation therapy, we performed a 4-dimensional computedtomography simulation for 0 ~ 90%, 30 ~ 70%, and 40 ~ 60% respiratory phases to assessthe respiratory stability (SR) and the defined PTVi for each respiratory phase i. A treatment planwas established, and the changes in the PTVi and dose volume of the liver were quantitativelyanalyzed. Most patients (91.5%) passed the respiratory stability test (SR = 0.111 ± 0.015). Withstandardized respiration training exercises, we were able to minimize the overall systematic errorcaused by irregular respiration. Furthermore, a quantitative analysis to identify the optimal respiratoryphase revealed that when a short respiratory phase (40 ~ 60%) was used, the changes inthe PTV were concentrated inside the center line; thus, we were able to obtain both a PTV marginaccounting for respiration and a uniform radiation dose within the PTV.

Reductions in the Variations of Respiration Signals for Respiratory-gated Radiotherapy When Using the Video-coaching Respiration Guiding System

이현정,예지원,오세안 한국물리학회 2015 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.67 No.1

Respiratory-gated radiation therapy (RGRT) has been used to minimize the dose to normal tissue in lung-cancer radiotherapy. The present research aims to improve the regularity of respiration in RGRT by using a video-coached respiration guiding system. In the study, 16 patients with lung cancer were evaluated. The respiration signals of the patients were measured by using a realtime position management (RPM) respiratory gating system (Varian, USA), and the patients were trained using the video-coaching respiration guiding system. The patients performed free breathing and guided breathing, and the respiratory cycles were acquired for 5 min. Then, Microsoft Excel 2010 software was used to calculate the mean and the standard deviation for each phase. The standard deviation was computed in order to analyze the improvement in the respiratory regularity with respect to the period and the displacement. The standard deviation of the guided breathing decreased to 48.8% in the inhale peak and 24.2% in the exhale peak compared with the values for the free breathing of patient 6. The standard deviation of the respiratory cycle was found to be decreased when using the respiratory guiding system. The respiratory regularity was significantly improved when using the video-coaching respiration guiding system. Therefore, the system is useful for improving the accuracy and the efficiency of RGRT.

IGRT를 위한 비침습적인 호흡에 의한 장기 움직임 실시간 추적시스템

김윤종,윤의중,Kim, Yoon-Jong,Yoon, Uei-Joong 대한의용생체공학회 2007 의공학회지 Vol.28 No.5

A non-invasive respiratory gated radiotherapy system like those based on external anatomic motion gives better comfortableness to patients than invasive system on treatment. However, higher correlation between the external and internal anatomic motion is required to increase the effectiveness of non-invasive respiratory gated radiotherapy. Both of invasive and non-invasive methods need to track the internal anatomy with the higher precision and rapid response. Especially, the non-invasive method has more difficulty to track the target position successively because of using only image processing. So we developed the system to track the motion for a non-invasive respiratory gated system to accurately find the dynamic position of internal structures such as the diaphragm and tumor. The respiratory organ motion tracking apparatus consists of an image capture board, a fluoroscopy system and a processing computer. After the image board grabs the motion of internal anatomy through the fluoroscopy system, the computer acquires the organ motion tracking data by image processing without any additional physical markers. The patients breathe freely without any forced breath control and coaching, when this experiment was performed. The developed pattern-recognition software could extract the target motion signal in real-time from the acquired fluoroscopic images. The range of mean deviations between the real and acquired target positions was measured for some sample structures in an anatomical model phantom. The mean and max deviation between the real and acquired positions were less than 1mm and 2mm respectively with the standardized movement using a moving stage and an anatomical model phantom. Under the real human body, the mean and maximum distance of the peak to trough was measured 23.5mm and 55.1mm respectively for 13 patients' diaphragm motion. The acquired respiration profile showed that human expiration period was longer than the inspiration period. The above results could be applied to respiratory-gated radiotherapy.

Establishment of Quality Assurance for Respiratory-gated Radiotherapy Using a Respiration-simulating Phantom and Gamma Index: Evaluation of Accuracy Taking into Account Tumor Motion and Respiratory Cycle

이재승,임인철,강수만,구은회,백성민 한국물리학회 2013 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.63 No.10

The purpose of this study is to present a new method of quality assurance (QA) in order to ensureeffective evaluation of the accuracy of respiratory-gated radiotherapy (RGR). This would helpin quantitatively analyzing the patient’s respiratory cycle and respiration-induced tumor motionand in performing a subsequent comparative analysis of dose distributions, using the gamma-indexmethod, as reproduced in our in-house developed respiration-simulating phantom. Therefore, wedesigned a respiration-simulating phantom capable of reproducing the patient’s respiratory cycleand respiration-induced tumor motion and evaluated the accuracy of RGR by estimating its passrates. We applied the gamma index passing criteria of accepted error ranges of 3% and 3 mmfor the dose distribution calculated by using the treatment planning system (TPS) and the actualdose distribution of RGR. The pass rate clearly increased inversely to the gating width chosen. When respiration-induced tumor motion was 12 mm or less, pass rates of 85% and above wereachieved for the 30 - 70% respiratory phase, and pass rates of 90% and above were achieved forthe 40 - 60% respiratory phase. However, a respiratory cycle with a very small fluctuation rangeof pass rates failed to prove reliable in evaluating the accuracy of RGR. Therefore, accurate andreliable outcomes of radiotherapy will be obtainable only by establishing a novel QA system usingthe respiration-simulating phantom, the gamma-index analysis, and a quantitative analysis ofdiaphragmatic motion, enabling an indirect measurement of tumor motion.

A Robust Self-navigation for Respiratory Gating in 3D Radial Ultrashort Echo-time Lung MRI using Concurrent Dephasing and Excitation

박진일,이석원,신태훈,오세홍,박장연 한국물리학회 2018 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.73 No.1

Three-dimensional ultrashort echo-time (UTE) imaging with radial k-space acquisition is a well-known MR imaging technique that generates comparable lung images to X-ray and computed tomography (CT). Although researchers have sought to minimize the incidence of motion artifacts, there is still a need to accomplish further reduction of motion artifacts through respiratory gating. In this study, we introduce a robust self-navigation for respiratory gating in 3D radial UTE lung imaging especially based on concurrent dephasing and excitation (CODE). To reduce the baseline fluctuation of self-navigated respiratory signals as well as the dependence on the position of the navigating echoes in the k-space trajectories, both of which originate from varying degrees of steadystate condition outside the fully excited regions of a spin system in CODE-MRI, we proposed a new self-navigation method which applies dual navigating echoes successively in the superior-inferior direction and takes the second navigating echoes for respiratory-motion tracking. The phantom and human experimental results showed that the proposed method successfully suppressed the baseline fluctuations of the navigating-echo signals and the resulting respiratory signals, thereby reducing the respiratory-motion artifacts like blurring in the human lung images thanks to the improved respiratory gating.