PET/CT instrumentation: Quality assurance and quality control

Improvement in quality assurance in Nuclear Medicine and in particular, in quality control of related equipment is a major field of interest of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Several technical documents pertaining to scintigraphic imaging have been published and are being used as reference manuals by many professionals in the field (e.g., TECDOC 317, TECDOC 602, STI/PUB 1141). Positron emission tomography (PET) scanners and related performance assessment and quality control were not included in the previously published documents, as PET has been mainly a research tool, with limited worldwide distribution until the 90's. The tremendous role played presently by PET and PET/CT in whole-body oncology for lesion detection, staging and follow-up as well as the increasing role for PET in cardiology and neurology, associated with increasing reimbursement of multiple PET indications have prompted the need for updated guidelines specific to PET and PET/CT in terms of acceptance testing as well as quality control and assurance. The aim of this work is to present an overview of acceptance testing and quality assurance and control for PET and PET/CT