Dynamic 18F-Fluoride PET Quantitative Analysis of Bone Grafts

Kinetic modeling in functional imaging can derive quantitative rate constants and macroparameters, which can facilitate clinical evaluation. 18F-fluoride is a suitable tracer for quantifying bone metabolism. This study employed a three-compartment and four-parameter kinetic model for 18F-fluoride to analysis dynamic 18F-fluoride PET studies of eight patients with fibula bone grafts after limb salvage surgery. Kinetic parameters were estimated for bone graft, ilium, rib, femur and lumbar vertebra regions with non-linear least square fitting. Parametric images of the influx rate constant were constructed by the Patlak graphical analysis for comparison. Differences in net influx rate constant between bone graft and normal bone regions could be detected by the technique and the technique shows promise in providing quantitative assessment of the viability of bone grafts.