Anne H Thostrup, Natalie A Bebbington, Janne Frederiksen, Helle D Zacho
{"title":"Effect of Personalized Approach to CT Scan Length on Radiation Dose in Parathyroid SPECT/CT.","authors":"Anne H Thostrup, Natalie A Bebbington, Janne Frederiksen, Helle D Zacho","doi":"10.2967/jnmt.126.272875","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.126.272875","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parathyroid SPECT/CT is the standard examination for localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue before surgery for hyperparathyroidism. The effective dose (ED) delivered by CT comprises approximately one third of the radiation dose in this examination. Parathyroid SPECT/CT typically includes 1 CT covering the mediastinum because of the risk of ectopic adenomas. This study investigates whether the use of personalized CT (pCT) on the basis of SPECT images can reduce scan length and CT-derived ED, while maintaining the ability to detect ectopic adenomas, compared with full field-of-view (FOV) SPECT/CT. <b>Methods:</b> Patients with hyperparathyroidism who were referred for a clinical parathyroid SPECT/CT between May 2023 and June 2024 were prospectively included. Two observers (a technologist and junior physician) retrospectively determined pCT based on the non-attenuation-corrected SPECT images. The reduction in CT scan lengths compared with those of standard CT examinations was calculated. In a subgroup of patients, the reduction in ED was calculated. The detectability of ectopic adenomas was analyzed using imaging data from the full FOV SPECT/CT as the reference standard. <b>Results:</b> In total, 113 patients were included in the study. The standard examination found that 82 patients had at least 1 suspected lesion. Scan length was reduced by 60%-66% using pCT. No ectopic adenomas were missed on pCT. Subgroup analysis showed comparable reductions in CT scan length and CT-derived ED. <b>Conclusion:</b> Median CT scan length and median CT-derived ED was reduced by 60% when pCT was used for parathyroid SPECT/CT. pCT was implemented with minimal delay between SPECT and CT.</p>","PeriodicalId":16548,"journal":{"name":"Journal of nuclear medicine technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149110985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How to Talk to Patients About Radiopharmaceutical Procedures.","authors":"Martina Wesselhöft, Robert Gaschler","doi":"10.2967/jnmt.126.272508","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.126.272508","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many successful medical procedures rely on the use of radioisotopes. However, treatment can be challenging when patients are afraid of radioactivity. This study investigated the types of information that effectively foster acceptance of radiopharmaceutical procedures among laypersons. <b>Methods:</b> Using a within-subject design, participants were presented with 6 vignettes offering 3 distinct categories of information regarding radiopharmaceutical procedures: comparison of the radioactive dose with the annual natural background radiation, the level of clinical experience with the method, and comparisons with established legal radiation dose limits. We analyzed which information type participants prioritized across different scenarios. <b>Results:</b> The findings consistently showed that information regarding the level of clinical experience with the procedure was the most influential factor when participants or their children were directly affected by radiation. In contrast, when laboratory personnel would be exposed to radiation, participants requested information significantly less frequently. When additional information was requested in this scenario, participants primarily preferred explanations about radiation doses and legal limits. <b>Conclusion:</b> To effectively convey safety and expertise, medical staff should emphasize the frequency of use and the long-term clinical track record of a procedure rather than solely relying on comparisons with natural radiation or legal thresholds. Although patients expressed high interest in personal safety, interest in staff radiation exposure was low, reaching a floor effect among those with prior knowledge. This suggests a self-centered risk perception in nuclear medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":16548,"journal":{"name":"Journal of nuclear medicine technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149110959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Darivemula Graham Stains, Prabu Titus Devakumar, Justin Benjamin, Jai Surya, Pandiyan Moorthy, Julie Hephzibah
{"title":"Estimation of Effective Dose Received by Caregivers During [<sup>18</sup>F]FDG PET/CT Studies.","authors":"Darivemula Graham Stains, Prabu Titus Devakumar, Justin Benjamin, Jai Surya, Pandiyan Moorthy, Julie Hephzibah","doi":"10.2967/jnmt.125.271723","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.125.271723","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Caregivers who assist patients during [<sup>18</sup>F]FDG PET/CT are exposed to ionizing radiation, particularly when close physical support is required. Limited real-world data are available about the actual doses received by caregivers during routine clinical practice. This study aimed to estimate effective doses received by caregivers and determine whether exposures remained below the 1-mSv dose constraint recommended by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency for caregivers during diagnostic procedures, consistent with International Commission on Radiological Protection recommendations. <b>Methods:</b> This prospective observational study included caregivers accompanying patients undergoing [<sup>18</sup>F]FDG PET/CT. Each caregiver wore a calibrated electronic pocket dosimeter that measured the personal dose equivalent in soft tissue at a depth of 10 mm below the point where the dosimeter is worn (H<sub>p</sub>(10)), clipped to the mid-chest throughout the uptake period and during imaging. Patients received weight-based [<sup>18</sup>F]FDG activity (3.7-5.2 MBq/kg) and remained in individual uptake cubicles to minimize exposure from other injected patients. Caregiver-patient distance, measurement time, and H<sub>p</sub>(10) were recorded. Correlations were evaluated using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Group comparisons were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with a Dunn post hoc analysis, and dose predictors were assessed using a generalized linear model with a γ-distribution. <b>Results:</b> Thirty-nine caregiver-patient pairs were included, with complete dosimetry data available for all participants. Caregivers received measurable but low H<sub>p</sub>(10) values, although exposure varied widely on the basis of proximity and measurement time. The median caregiver dose was 0.12 mSv (interquartile range, 0.04-0.54 mSv). A strong positive correlation was observed between H<sub>p</sub>(10) and time spent with the patient (Spearman ρ = 0.617), whereas a strong inverse correlation was observed between H<sub>p</sub>(10) and caregiver-patient distance (Spearman ρ = -0.914). Caregivers positioned closest to patients, particularly those assisting pediatric patients, received the highest doses. Group comparisons by distance category demonstrated significant differences in exposure. Multivariate modeling confirmed that time, distance, and patient age independently contributed to caregiver dose. <b>Conclusion:</b> Caregiver radiation exposure during patient [<sup>18</sup>F]FDG PET/CT was low and remained within acceptable limits (<1 mSv) but varied considerably with caregiver-patient proximity and the time spent with the patient. These findings confirm that caregiver radiation exposure is strongly influenced by the time spent with the patient and the distance maintained, although close physical support is often unavoidable.</p>","PeriodicalId":16548,"journal":{"name":"Journal of nuclear medicine technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149111008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Garrett DePalma, Ketan Dayma, Kurt Wilson, Paul Depew, Leen Alkukhun, Meghan Stanton, Kent Ogden, David Salerius, Markus Lammle, David Lubin
{"title":"3D-Printed Dose Caddy for Administration of Radiopharmaceutical Therapy.","authors":"Garrett DePalma, Ketan Dayma, Kurt Wilson, Paul Depew, Leen Alkukhun, Meghan Stanton, Kent Ogden, David Salerius, Markus Lammle, David Lubin","doi":"10.2967/jnmt.125.271892","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.125.271892","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the commercial production of standardized radiopharmaceutical therapy doses, a practical dose administration and delivery device was sought to aid in dose administration. In particular, a device was needed to reduce staff radiation exposure associated with the manual injection of commercially available radiopharmaceutical doses dispensed in 20-mL syringes, despite the use of a standard syringe shield. With the use of commercially available materials, tabletop 3-dimensional printers, and open-source software, we designed, printed, and tested a dose administration caddy with syringe plunger extension using inexpensive and easy-to-find acrylonitrile butadiene styrene filaments. This caddy allows for a highly adaptable setup that offers ease of use, simplicity, and a rugged design that significantly reduces the radiation dose to the operator by 5-fold overall by 25-fold to the hand and 15.5 fold to the body.</p>","PeriodicalId":16548,"journal":{"name":"Journal of nuclear medicine technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149110956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"<sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT Metabolic Patterns in Clinically Probable Seronegative Autoimmune Encephalitis with Normal MRI Findings: A Retrospective Observational Study.","authors":"Priyanka Verma, Keerti Sitani, Shilpa Kulkarni, Swaleha Nadaf, Rahul Chakor, Sandip Basu","doi":"10.2967/jnmt.126.272364","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.126.272364","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Seronegative autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) poses a significant diagnostic challenge because of the absence of identifiable neuronal antibodies and frequently normal structural neuroimaging. <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT has emerged as a sensitive functional imaging modality for detecting metabolic abnormalities in such patients. We conducted this study to evaluate the metabolic patterns observed on <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT in patients with clinically suspected seronegative AIE and to assess the diagnostic utility of <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT when MRI findings are normal. <b>Methods:</b> This retrospective observational study included 12 patients with clinically suspected AIE who tested negative for known neuronal antibodies and underwent <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT. Clinical presentation, time to imaging, MRI findings, and PET metabolic patterns were analyzed. <b>Results:</b> Among the 12 patients evaluated (mean age, 23.08 y), seizures (83%), fever (42%), and behavioral changes (25%) were the most common presenting symptoms. Brain MRI findings were normal for all patients. <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT revealed abnormal cerebral metabolism in all patients, with predominant basal ganglia hypermetabolism and characteristic anterior-to-posterior cortical metabolic gradient, found in 92% and 33% of patients, respectively. Medial temporal lobe hypermetabolism was observed in 25% of patients. The mean SUV<sub>max</sub> in the basal ganglia was 12.28 (median, 18.72). <b>Conclusion:</b> <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated consistent and characteristic metabolic abnormalities among patients with seronegative AIE, even in the presence of normal MRI findings. However, these findings are not disease-specific and should be interpreted in conjunction with clinical and other diagnostic parameters. <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT may serve as a valuable adjunctive diagnostic tool in clinically suspected seronegative AIE.</p>","PeriodicalId":16548,"journal":{"name":"Journal of nuclear medicine technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149110977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Logan R Linscheid, Tori L Behrens, Hannah M Carolus Khan, Dena M Abdelhameed
{"title":"The Hype Isn't Just Hot Air: Implementing Technegas.","authors":"Logan R Linscheid, Tori L Behrens, Hannah M Carolus Khan, Dena M Abdelhameed","doi":"10.2967/jnmt.126.273714","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.126.273714","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16548,"journal":{"name":"Journal of nuclear medicine technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149025143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Primary Orbital Eccrine Porocarcinoma: Serial [<sup>18</sup>F]FDG PET/CT Demonstration of Rapid Disease Progression.","authors":"Feng Xu, Ying Yuan","doi":"10.2967/jnmt.126.273424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.126.273424","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Primary orbital eccrine porocarcinoma is an exceptionally rare and aggressive malignancy. We present the case of a 67-y-old man with primary orbital eccrine porocarcinoma who underwent initial staging and postoperative restaging with [<sup>18</sup>F]FDG PET/CT. Initial imaging revealed an intensely hypermetabolic orbital mass with regional and contralateral cervical lymph node metastases. Four months after radical surgery, restaging PET/CT demonstrated rapid systemic progression involving multiple organs and skeletal structures. This case highlights the value of serial [<sup>18</sup>F]FDG PET/CT for comprehensive assessment of disease extent and rapid metastatic progression in this rare malignancy.</p>","PeriodicalId":16548,"journal":{"name":"Journal of nuclear medicine technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149025094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alan H Maurer, Daohai Yu, Mathew Mathai, Danielle Powell, Henry P Parkman
{"title":"Assessing Gastric Meal Distribution and Accommodation Response During Gastric-Emptying Scintigraphy Using Physiologic Division of the Stomach at the Incisura.","authors":"Alan H Maurer, Daohai Yu, Mathew Mathai, Danielle Powell, Henry P Parkman","doi":"10.2967/jnmt.126.273182","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.126.273182","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is growing recognition of the importance of assessing intragastric meal distribution and gastric accommodation (GA) during gastric-emptying scintigraphy (GES) for patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Methods for dividing the stomach have used arbitrary division into halves or thirds. Currently, there is no commercial software for analysis of intragastric meal distribution at 0 min (IMD0) of the post-meal-ingestion image to quantify GA. The goal of this study was to assess the ability to visually use the incisura as an anatomic and physiologic site to divide the proximal from the distal stomach and to establish reference values for IMD0. <b>Methods:</b> Healthy subjects (<i>n</i> = 53, 25 women and 28 men) with ages ranging from 19 to 66 y underwent 4-h GES using the currently recommended Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging GES egg-white solid-meal guideline. GA was quantitated using IMD0 (the ratio of proximal gastric counts to total gastric counts in the image immediately after meal ingestion, where the incisura was used to visually separate the proximal stomach [fundus and body] from the distal stomach [antrum]). <b>Results:</b> Agreement between nuclear medicine technologists' localization of the incisura with physician review was 92% (49/53 subjects). The mean IMD0 using the incisura was 0.867 ± 0.068 (SD). From the male and female data together, using 5%-95% quantiles as the best cutoffs, the lower and upper IMD0 limits were 0.74-0.96. There was no significant difference (Wilcoxon, <i>P</i> = 0.27) in IMD0 between men and women, at a median of 0.88 (interquartile range, 0.84-0.93) versus 0.87 (interquartile range, 0.83-0.90). Similarly, there was no significant difference (<i>P</i> = 0.67) in IMD0 between subjects 30 y or younger and subjects older than 30 y, at a median of 0.89 (interquartile range, 0.85-0.92) versus 0.87 (interquartile range, 0.82-0.90). <b>Conclusion:</b> Visual division of the stomach into proximal and distal components using the incisura allows for easy separation and quantification of the proximal from the distal stomach to assess IMD0 and GA. We established reference values for measurement of IMD0 during GES based on a physiologic separation of the proximal versus distal stomach defined by the incisura.</p>","PeriodicalId":16548,"journal":{"name":"Journal of nuclear medicine technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149025083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rethinking Academic Impact: A Context-Constrained Framework for Publication Strategy and Evaluation.","authors":"Geoffrey M Currie","doi":"10.2967/jnmt.126.273072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.126.273072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In nuclear medicine, scholarly value is not always captured by the metrics used to judge it. Work that improves protocols, strengthens radiation safety, supports technologist education, clarifies clinical decision-making, or advances professional practice may have substantial impact without generating high citation counts or appearing in high-impact journals. Yet academic performance is increasingly evaluated through bibliometric indicators that offer incomplete, and sometimes distorted, representations of scholarly contribution. When citation counts, impact factors, and journal rankings become targets rather than descriptive tools, they can create tension between productivity, journal prestige, audience alignment, and meaningful clinical impact. This tension is particularly important for nuclear medicine technology, where scholarship often serves a specialized professional audience within a comparatively constrained journal ecosystem. <b>Methods:</b> A conceptual framework was developed that models academic impact as a nonlinear, context-dependent function of publication volume, journal standing, and audience alignment, moderated by career stage and disciplinary structure. The framework introduces parameters that account for the nonlinear contribution of journal rank and the influence of audience fit on citation performance. <b>Results:</b> The model is not intended as a universal metric for evaluating research quality. Consistent with Goodhart's law, optimization of any single measure risks distorting scholarly behavior. Instead, the framework is positioned as a decision-support tool to guide researchers in balancing competing priorities and aligning publication strategies with disciplinary context, career stage, and professional goals. <b>Conclusion:</b> By reframing impact as an optimization problem under constraint, the model supports more deliberate, context-sensitive, and sustainable approaches to research dissemination.</p>","PeriodicalId":16548,"journal":{"name":"Journal of nuclear medicine technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149025169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amer H Ghujeh, Mustafa Altinyay, Antar Aly, Francisco Alves, Mohammed H Kharita, Hadi Fayad
{"title":"Benchmarking <sup>18</sup>F and <sup>68</sup>Ga Phantom Performance on a Digital Time-of-Flight PET/CT System: Reference Values for Spatial Resolution, Contrast Recovery, and Background Variability.","authors":"Amer H Ghujeh, Mustafa Altinyay, Antar Aly, Francisco Alves, Mohammed H Kharita, Hadi Fayad","doi":"10.2967/jnmt.126.272820","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.126.272820","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Our purpose was to establish reference performance benchmarks for spatial resolution, contrast recovery coefficient (CRC), and background variability (BV) for <sup>68</sup>Ga and <sup>18</sup>F under matched conditions and to determine the extent to which acquisition duration can compensate for isotope-specific resolution differences. <b>Methods:</b> Phantom studies were performed on a digital PET/CT platform using capillary sources in air (minimal scatter) and a triple-line insert in water (scatter conditions). A National Electrical Manufacturers Association International Electrotechnical Commission body phantom (spheres 10-37 mm; 4:1 activity ratio) was used to assess CRC (International Atomic Energy Agency definition) and BV (coefficient of variation). Data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis tests for resolution and 2-way ANOVA for CRC/BV, evaluating the interaction between isotope and acquisition duration. <b>Results:</b> <sup>18</sup>F consistently yielded resolution limits (full width at half maximum) superior to those of <sup>68</sup>Ga in both air and water (Kruskal-Wallis, <i>P</i> ∼ 0.008). Notably, extending the acquisition duration from 2 to 5 min provided no significant improvement in full width at half maximum for either tracer (<i>P</i> = 0.70). In National Electrical Manufacturers Association testing, <sup>18</sup>F maintained a significant CRC advantage across all sphere sizes and durations. At 10 min, the CRC for the 37-mm sphere reached about 97.5% for <sup>18</sup>F versus about 81.3% for <sup>68</sup>Ga. For small spheres (10-13 mm), <sup>18</sup>F exceeded <sup>68</sup>Ga recovery by about 14%-22%. Although increasing scan duration from 2 to 10 min significantly reduced BV (noise) for both tracers (<sup>18</sup>F: 1.92%→1.37%; <sup>68</sup>Ga: 2.47%→1.29%; <i>P</i> = 0.026), it did not bridge the CRC gap. <b>Conclusion:</b> This work provides practical benchmark values for <sup>18</sup>F and <sup>68</sup>Ga on a digital PET/CT platform. Under matched reconstruction conditions, <sup>18</sup>F retained superior intrinsic resolution and contrast recovery, whereas longer acquisitions mainly reduced noise and could not overcome the physical resolution limitations of <sup>68</sup>Ga. These data support quality assurance, protocol optimization, and harmonization of prostate-specific membrane antigen PET imaging across both tracers.</p>","PeriodicalId":16548,"journal":{"name":"Journal of nuclear medicine technology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149025171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}