Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37261547›Full record

ArticleEJNMMI physics2023

Development of a bespoke phantom to optimize molecular PET imaging of pituitary tumors.

Daniel Gillett, Daniel Marsden, Rosy Crawford, Safia Ballout, James MacFarlane, Merel van der Meulen, Bethany Gillett, Nick Bird, Sarah Heard, Andrew S Powlson and 10 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EJNMMI physics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Functional pituitary adenoma imaging.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Daniel GillettDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK. dg538@medschl.cam.ac.uk.
Daniel MarsdenClinical Engineering, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Rosy CrawfordDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Safia BalloutDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
James MacFarlaneCambridge Endocrine Molecular Imaging Group, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Merel van der MeulenCambridge Endocrine Molecular Imaging Group, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Bethany GillettEast Anglian Regional Radiation Protection Service, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Nick BirdDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Sarah HeardDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Andrew S PowlsonCambridge Endocrine Molecular Imaging Group, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Thomas SantariusDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Richard MannionDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Angelos KoliasDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Ines HarperDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Iosif A MendichovszkyDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Luigi AlojDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Heok CheowDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Waiel BashariCambridge Endocrine Molecular Imaging Group, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Olympia KoulouriCambridge Endocrine Molecular Imaging Group, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Mark GurnellCambridge Endocrine Molecular Imaging Group, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK. mg299@medschl.cam.ac.uk.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · GBUniversity of Cambridge · GBNational Institute for Health Research · GB

Funding

NIHR BRC-1215-20014
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundImage optimization is a key step in clinical nuclear medicine, and phantoms play an essential role in this process. However, most phantoms do not accurately reflect the complexity of human anatomy, and this presents a particular challenge when imaging endocrine glands to detect small (often subcentimeter) tumors. To address this, we developed a novel phantom for optimization of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the human pituitary gland. Using radioactive 3D printing, phantoms were created which mimicked the distribution of

resultsThe phantom enabled us to replicate pituitary glands harboring tumors of varying sizes (2, 4 and 6 mm diameters) and differing radioactive concentrations (2 ×, 5 × and 8 × the normal gland). The anatomical phantom successfully approximated the attenuation properties of surrounding bone and soft tissue. Two iterative reconstruction algorithms [ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM); Bayesian penalized likelihood (BPL)] with a range of reconstruction parameters (e.g., 3, 5, 7 and 9 OSEM iterations with 24 subsets; BPL regularization parameter (β) from 50 to 1000) were tested. Images were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively by eight expert readers. Quantitatively, signal was the highest using BPL with β = 50; noise was the lowest using BPL with β = 1000; contrast was the highest using BPL with β = 100. The qualitative review found that accuracy and confidence were the highest when using BPL with β = 400.

conclusionsThe development of a bespoke phantom has allowed the identification of optimal parameters for molecular pituitary imaging: BPL reconstruction with TOF, PSF correction and a β value of 400; in addition, for small (< 4 mm) tumors with low contrast (2:1 or 5:1), sensitivity may be improved using a β value of 100. Together, these findings should increase tumor detection and confidence in reporting scans.

Indexed as

3D printing radioactive phantomOptimization of molecular PET imagingPituitary tumors/adenomas

Identifiers

PMID37261547
PMCPMC10234958
OpenAlexW4378953201

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.