The analysis of routine quality control of SPECT in Guangdong province

PURPOSE: To investigate present status and problem revealed in routine quality control (QC) of SPECT in Guangdong province. METHODS: A program of routine quality control of SPECT was carried out in twenty-five hospitals in 1995 and 1996. All the SPECT came from six manufactories, including eleven models. Participants were required to implement the routine QC regularly and hand in a QC report during the period. The items of routine QC include three major parts: intrinsic planer performances (IPP), system planar performances (SPP) and tomographic performances (TP). For IPP, flood field uniformity, spatial resolution and spatial linearity were required to measure at least monthly; energy resolution, count rate performance and maximum counts were measured every 6 months. For SPP, spatial resolution and spatial linearity were measured monthly; the sensitivity every 6 month. For TP, uniformity and spatial resolution was measured quarterly; COR and total performance monthly. RESULTS: Calculated the Test Rate (TR) of each performance: TR = the time that had been implement by participant/the time that was required to implement. The performances whose TR≥30% were those can be measured with a computer program or be measured simply. The TR of a measurement that involve a complicated calculation but without a computer program was lower. If a measurement need a special phantom, the TR is also lower. Tomographic performance were measured with many factors of acquisition and reconstruction, and their TR were lower than planar. CONCLUSIONS: In order to improve the routine quality control, it is necessary to 1) provide QC training courses regularly for participants; 2) simplify the measurement methods of routine QC, take out complicated items; 3) equip with necessary phantoms in hospitals; 4) strengthen the management and supervision of routine QC