Patient motion artefact characterisation in cerebral SPECT acquisition

Patient motion may occur during cerebral SPECT acquisition regardless of the care taken when immobilising a patient's head. Vertical patient motion during a cerebral SPECT, either superior or inferior, can be detected visually on a cinematic display. Axial rotation and lateral movement, however, cannot be easily detected by routine quality control. The aim of this project was to characterise the location and extent of artefacts in cerebral SPECT data resulting from various types and degrees of motion. Acquisitions containing vertical motion, both superior and inferior, lateral motion, both to the left and right and axial rotational, both clockwise and counter-clockwise, were performed with varying degrees of motion. A trend of resultant artefacts was observed demonstrating that the artefact is characterised by the type of motion and the extent of the artefact is related to the size of the movement. When tabulated, these data provide an accurate predictor of patient motion during cerebral SPECT acquisition. 7 refs., 1 tab., 9 figs