The effect of a novel Bayesian penalised likelihood PET reconstruction algorithm on the assessment of malignancy risk in solitary pulmonary nodules according to the British Thoracic Society guidelines

摘要

Purpose: British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines advocate using FDG PET-CT with the Herder model to estimate malignancy risk in solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). Qualitative and semi-quantitative assessment of SPN uptake is based upon analysis of Ordered Subset Expected Maximisation (OSEM) PET images. Our aim was to assess the effect of a Bayesian Penalised Likelihood (BPL) PET reconstruction on the assessment of SPN FDG uptake and estimation of malignancy risk (Herder score). Methods: Subjects with SPNs who underwent FDG PET-CT between 2014-2017, with histological confirmation of malignancy or histological/imaging follow-up confirmation of benignity were included. Two blinded readers independently classified SPN uptake on both OSEM and BPL (BTS score; 1 = none; 2 = < =mediastinal blood pool (MBP); 3 = > MBP but < =2x liver; 4 = > 2x liver), with resultant calculation of the Herder score (%) for both reconstructions. Results: 97 subjects with 75 (77%) malignant SPNs were included. BPL increased the BTS score in 25 (26%) SPNs; 9 SPNs (7 malignant) increased from BTS score 2 to 3, 16 (13 malignant) from BTS score 3 to 4, with a mean Herder score increase of 18 ?22%. The mean Herder score for all SPNs with BPL was higher than OSEM (73 ?29 vs 68 ?32%, p = 0.001). There was no difference in Herder model diagnostic performance between BPL and OSEM, with similar areas under the curve (0.84 vs 0.83, p = 0.39). Conclusion: BPL increases the Herder score in 26% of SPNs compared to OSEM but does not alter the diagnostic performance of the Herder model.