Determination of Parameter Reference Values for 18F-DOPA PET Imaging of the Brain (Based on Using Data from Healthy Subjects)
Authors:   Federal Siberian Clinical Research Center, Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency (a Federal Government-funded Institution), Abramov V.G. ,   Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Khoroshavina A.A. ,   Professor V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University (a Federal Government-funded Educational Institution of Higher Education), Russian Federation Ministry of Health; Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Tutsenko K.O. ,   Professor V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University (a Federal Government-funded Educational Institution of Higher Education), Russian Federation Ministry of Health; Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Sadovsky M.G. ,   Professor V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University (a Federal Government-funded Educational Institution of Higher Education), Russian Federation Ministry of Health; Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation,   Institute of Computational Modeling, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a dedicated department of the Federal Research Center — Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences (a Federal Government-funded Scientific Institution); Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Karlova E.A. ,   Federal Siberian Clinical Research Center, Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency (a Federal Government-funded Institution); Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation,   Professor V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University (a Federal Government-funded Educational Institution of Higher Education), Russian Federation Ministry of Health; Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Pokhabov D.V. ,   Federal Siberian Clinical Research Center, Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency (a Federal Government-funded Institution); Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation,   Professor V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University (a Federal Government-funded Educational Institution of Higher Education), Russian Federation Ministry of Health; Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation
Published: January 2021

Study Objective: To determine, based on data from examination of apparently healthy subjects, parameter reference values for 18F-DOPA positron emission tomography (PET) of the brain. Study Design: This was a prospective study. Materials and Methods: Apparently healthy subjects (n = 33) underwent 18F-DOPA PET of the brain using a Discovery PET/CT 600 scanner. Data were processed using standard statistical methods. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to test data distribution for normality, and Pearson and Spearman covariance and correlation matrices were calculated. The key components were analyzed to assess combined scattering (explained variance). Study Results: For absolute parameters, the following reference levels were determined for radioactivity concentration (median [1st quartile; 3rd quartile]): 2.24 [2.02; 2.80] kBq/mL in the right putamen, 2.26 [2.02; 2.75] kBq/mL in the left putamen, 2.11 [1.78; 2.55] kBq/mL in the right caudate nucleus (CN), 2.01 [1.74; 2.49] kBq/mL in the left caudate nucleus, and 0.81 [0.71; 1.00] and 0.81 [0.74; 1.02] kBq/mL in the right and left occipital cortices (OC), respectively. For relative parameters, the following reference values were determined (mean ± standard deviation): 2.66 ± 0.52 for the right corpus striatum/OC, 2.68 ± 0.53 for the left corpus striatum/OC, 2.36 ± 0.48 for the right CN/OC, 2.34 ± 0.47 for the left CN/OC, 1.09 ± 0.21 for the right corpus striatum/CN, and 1.11 ± 0.21 for the left corpus striatum/CN. Conclusion: The paper presents reference values for radioactivity concentration in 18F-DOPA PET of the brain. This is the first report of such data. Keywords: neurodegenerative disorders, dopamine metabolism, population norm.