Stability of the AutoQUANT (ADAC) package: filter choices

Full text: Functional assessment of the left ventricle is an integral part of the overall gated myocardial SPECT evaluation. Interpretation of perfusion images is to some extent subjective with varied preferences regarding the degree of smoothing and background subtraction. In this study we compare the functional parameters reported by the AutoQUANT (ADAC) package following processing of the raw data with five different default filters. 18 Sets of gated SPECT data were reconstructed using five different filters at the default settings. The filters used were Butterworth (Freq 0.55, order 5), Gaussian (0.55, 5), Hanning (0.55), Hamming (0.55) and Parzen (0.55). The reconstructed data was analysed using the AutoQUANT package and parameters for ejection fraction, wall motion and wall thickening were analysed. No significant difference was found in the functional parameters as reported by the AutoQUANT package using different reconstruction filters. The maximum absolute variation in the parameters was as follows: LVEF 3%, Wall Motion 0.7mm and Wall Thickening 5%. The AutoQuant package is stable in its reporting of the myocardial functional parameters regardless of the filters applied during the reconstruction of the raw data. Copyright (2002) The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Inc