Deep-inspiration breath-hold PET/CT of lung cancer: maximum standardized uptake value analysis of 108 patients

Our aim was to compare the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) between breath-hold (BH) PET/CT and free-breathing (FB) PET/CT. METHODS: The features of phantom data were analyzed, after which a clinical study was performed. A total of 108 consecutive patients with lung cancer were examined using lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO)-based PET/CT. The patients were instructed to breathe freely during FB PET/CT. In BH PET/CT, the patients were instructed to hold their breath in the maximal inspiration position during the scout scan, for 10 s of the CT scan, and for as long as possible during the PET scan. BH time was recorded using a respiratory monitoring device. The %BH-index was defined as the percentage difference between SUVmax of FB PET and that of BH PET. Statistical analyses were performed using the following factors: %BH-index, age, body mass index, 18F-FDG dosage, blood glucose, BH time, lesion size, and location. RESULTS: The highest %BH-index was 223.2. %BH-index in the lower lung area was significantly higher than that in the upper lung area (51.8 +/- 49.5 vs. 16.9 +/- 25.6, respectively). Lesion volume and maximum diameter in the high-%BH-index group were significantly lower than those in the low-%BH-index group, with the use of a %BH-index cutoff value of 37.l. CONCLUSION: SUVmax of FB PET should not be taken as accurate, especially in the lower lung area and for small pulmonary lesions. BH PET/CT is expected to enable precise measurement of SUVmax and is thus recommended as part of the standard protocol for lung cancer.