Image harmonization has been proposed to minimize heterogeneity in brain PET scans acquired in multi-center studies. However, standard validated methods and software tools are lacking.
In a new study published in the journal EJNMMI Physics, researchers assessed the performance of a framework for the harmonization of brain PET scans in the AMYPAD multi-center European clinical trial, involving 24 imaging centers with a total of 28 PET systems.

Authors concluded that harmonizing the Effective Image Resolution of brain PET scans significantly reduced image quality variability while minimally affecting quantitative accuracy. This method can be used prospectively for harmonizing scans to target sharper resolutions and is robust against dose-calibrator errors. Comparable image quality is attainable in brain PET multi-center studies while maintaining quantitative accuracy.

Congratulations to all authors: Mahnaz Shekari, Eline E. Verwer, Maqsood Yaqub, Marcel Daamen, Christopher Buckley, Giovanni B. Frisoni, Pieter Jelle Visser, Gill Farrar, Frederik Barkhof, Juan Domingo Gispert and Ronald Boellaard.

You can read the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40658-023-00588-x