PET Imaging of Leg Arteries for Determining the Input Function in PET/MRI Brain Studies Using a Compact, MRI-Compatible PET System

We used a compact, high-resolution, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible positron emission tomography (PET) camera (VersaPET) to assess the feasibility of measuring the image-derived input function (IDIF) from arteries in the leg with the ultimate goal of enabling fully quantitative PET brain imaging without blood sampling. We used this approach in five
¹⁸
F-FDG PET/MRI brain studies in which the input function was also acquired using the gold standard of serial arterial blood sampling. After accounting for partial volume, dispersion, and calibration effects, we compared the metabolic rates of glucose (MRglu) quantified from VersaPET IDIFs in 80 brain regions to those using the gold standard and achieved a bias and variability of <5% which is within the range of reported test–retest values for this type of study. We also achieved a strong linear relationship (
$R^{2} > 0.97$
) against the gold standard across regions. The results of this preliminary study are promising and support further studies to optimize methods, validate in a larger cohort, and extend to the modeling of other radiotracers.