A research team from the Biomedical Imaging Laboratory (BIG), University of Macau (UM) recently attended the 61st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine online. Du Yu, a PhD student from the lab, won the bronze prize in the Asian Cardiology Session for an artificial intelligence-related work to enhance myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image quality, and to reduce radiation exposure on patients from unnecessary CT scans.
Held in Nagoya, Japan, the event attracted over 2,000 scholars and doctors, as well as the submission of over 300 scientific abstracts all around the world. Competing in the event came from various research institutes of nuclear medicine in Asia, including Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, in mainland China; Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong; Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in Taiwan; Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital in South Korea; Nihon University Hospital and Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan; and Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (Dhaka) in Bangladesh.
The technique of attenuation correction (AC) can enhance the image quality and diagnostic accuracy from SPECT by reducing artifacts and improving quantitative accuracy. However, additional CT scans are needed for AC. In Du’s project titled ‘Comparison of Deep Learning-based Attenuation Map Generation and Direct Attenuation Correction for Myocardial Perfusion SPECT’, the researchers used non-AC-SPECT images to generate attenuation maps for AC or directly generate AC-SPECT images with deep learning methods, which is similar to the effect of using real CT for AC. The proposed methods can reduce unnecessary CT scans and associated radiation exposure to patients. In addition, the methods can alleviate the potential mismatch problem between SPECT and CT images, and provide an AC solution for dedicated cardiac SPECT systems without CT equipment.
This project was led by Greta Mok, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Institute of Collaborative Innovation, and the Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology. It was a collaboration between UM and the Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET/CT-MRI Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, and funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China’s Excellent Young Scientist Grant (file number: 81922080).
| Source: Faculty of Science and Technology | |
| Media Contact Information: | |
| Communications Office, University of Macau | |
| Albee Lei | Tel: (853) 8822 8004 |
| Judite Lam | Tel: (853) 8822 8022 |
| Email: | prs.media@um.edu.mo |
| UM 40th | |
| anniversary website: | 40.um.edu.mo |
| UM Website: | www.um.edu.mo |
