Development of a 3D gradient-based method for volume quantitation in SPECT

A three-dimensional (3-D) method for quantifying organ and lesion volume in SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) is described. A 3-D edge-detection technique based on a 3-D gradient operator is used to define the boundary of a radionuclide distribution in typical low-contrast, high-noise SPECT images. The method combines pre- and post-reconstruction filtering of the SPECT images with a 3-D adaptation of interpolative background subtraction to provide adequate noise reduction for reliable boundary definition. Simulation studies have shown that the method provides a direct measurement of relatively small volumes in SPECT images with good reproducibility and minimal operator bias. The method is applicable to quantifying the volume of hot and cold lesions.<
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