Reducing movement artifacts in whole body scanning

Movement artifacts during whole body scanning are a major concern when reproducible results are required. To determine the magnitude of the artifacts, 11 subjects were scanned with and without a positioning device on the head. The sway of the body was determined by a force plate. It was shown that the pointer on the head reduced the magnitude of the forward/backward sway by over 50%. The resulting standard deviation is less than the resolution of the scanner. Movement artifacts within the body, like head rotation, are hard to control. Again, the pointer on the head assists in reducing the artifacts. The ventilation depth during the scan determines the shape of the chest and should be standardized to get reproducible results.