Absolute PET Quantification: Why and How

4-Page Introduction
An easy-to-read overview of PET quantification is provided in our 4-page flyer.
Plea for absolute PET Quantification
Adriaan Lammertsma recently published the review “Forward to the Past: The Case for Quantitative PET Imaging” (J Nucl Med 2017, 58(7):1019-1024). Based on his vast experience as a modeller he discusses the advantages of absolute kinetic quantification based on dynamic scans over “semiquantification” using a static scan. His clear message is that any simplified approach must first be validated using fully quantitative methods.
Review of PET Analysis Methods
In the review article “Deriving physiological information from PET images: from SUV to compartmental modelling” (Clinical and Translational Imaging 2014, 2(3):239-251) Bertoldo et al organize the different methods for analyzing PET data hierarchically as a pyramid, with kinetic modeling at the base which is required for validating all simplified methods. Notably, PMOD supports all analysis levels and thus the validation tasks.

Blood Sampling for full PET Quantification
PET studies intended for full quantification require two sources of data, the reconstructed PET images measuring the tracer concentration in tissue over time as well as the concentration of the tracer and its metabolites in arterial blood. While much effort is spent ensuring accurate PET data, the acquisition of blood and its processing is often treated as an inconvenience, despite the fact that it is crucial for the quality of the outcome. In our application note we discuss how to reliably obtain the concentration of unchanged tracer in arterial plasma and avoid the many pitfalls.
Turku Website with PET Modeling Background Information
Vesa Oikonen from the Turku PET Center has compiled a very informative Web page about PET Modeling. It nicely explains many concepts and details of the actual PET data analysis.