Physics and Instrumentation Group

Quantitative Image Analysis

(PI: Joel S. Karp)

A major focus of research in the Physics and Instrumentation Group is the quantitative assessment of images based on clinical metrics. As new scanner technology evolves, it is important to characterize its impact on clinical tasks, not just the intrinsic scanner performance. This is accomplished by looking at clinical metrics such as the quantitative accuracy and precision of uptake measurements and lesion detectability. This work also includes standardization and harmonization of images across scanners and clinical sites; this is particularly significant for clinical trials where many different models of scanners with differing performance characteristics may be used. 

Selected Publications

1. Byrd D, Christopfel R, Arabasz G, Catana C, Karp JS, Lodge MA, Laymon C, Moros EG, Budzevich M, Nehmeh S, Scheuermann J, Sunderland J, Zhang J, Kinahan P. Measuring temporal stability of positron emission tomography standardized uptake value bias using long-lived sources in a multicenter network. J Med Imag 5(1) Jan 2018. [Link]
2. Panetta JV, Daube-Witherspoon ME, Karp JS. Validation of Phantom-Based Harmonization for Patient Harmonization. Med Physics 44(7): 3534-3544, July 2017. [Link]
3. Scheuermann JS, Reddin JS, Opanowski A, Kinahan PE, Siegel BA, Shankar LK, Karp JS. Qualification of NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers for Quantitative PET/CT Imaging in Clinical Trials. J Nucl Med 58:1065-1071, July, 2017. [Link]
4. Weber WA, Gatsonis CA, Mozley PD, Hanna LG, Shields AF, Aberle DR, Govindan R, Torigan DA, Karp JS, Yu JQ, Subramaniam RM, Halvorsen RA, Siegel BA. Repeatability of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Prospective Assessment in Two Multicenter Trials. J Nucl Med. 56(8):1137-43, August 2015. [Link]
5. Daube-Witherspoon ME, Surti S, Perkins AE, Karp JS. Determination of Accuracy and Precision of Lesion Uptake Measurements in Human Subjects with Time-of-Flight PET. J Nucl Med 55:1-6, Jun 2014. [Link]
6. Surti S, Scheuermann J, El Fakhri G, Daube-Witherspoon ME, Lim R, Abi-Hatem N, Moussallem E, Benard F, Mankoff D, Karp JS. Impact of TOF PET on whole-body oncologic studies: a human observer detection and localization study, J. Nucl. Med. Vol. 52: 712-719, May 2011. [Link]
7. El Fakhri G, Surti S, Trott C, Scheuermann J, Karp JS. Quantitation of improvement in lesion detectability with whole-body oncologic TOF-PET, J. Nucl. Med. 52: 347-353, Mar 2011. [Link]
8. Surti S, Karp JS. Application of a generalized scan statistic model to evaluate TOF PET images, IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 58, pp. 99-104, Feb 2011. [Link]
9. Doot RK, Scheuermann JS, Christian PE, Karp JS, Kinahan PE. Instrumentation factors affecting variance and bias of quantifying tracer uptake with PET/CT.  Med Phys 37: 6035-6046, Nov 2010. [Link]
10. Scheuermann JS, Saffer JR, Karp JS, Levering AM, Siegel BA. Qualification of PET Scanners for Use in Multi-Center Cancer Clinical Trials: The American College of Radiology Imaging Network Experience,  J Nucl Med 50: 1187-1193, Jul 2009. [Link]
11. Shankar LK, Hoffman JM, Bacharach S, Graham MM, Karp JS, Lammertsma AA, Larson S, Mankoff DA, Segel BA, Van den Abbeele A, Yap J, Sullivan D. Consensus Recommendations on the Use of Positron Emission Tomography(PET) and [18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d glucose (FDG) as an Indicator of Therapeutic Response in Patients Involved in National Cancer Institute (NCI) Clinical Trials. J Nucl Med 47(6): 1059 – 1066, Jun 2006. [Link]