Evaluation of SPECT-CT image fusion quality control

Co-registration of different types of studies into one multimodal image is a very powerful tool which provides more (complementary) information than both studies analyzed separately. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the importance and to provide a measure of quality control in SPECT-CT studies. The resuIt of image fusion has a diagnostic value only when precision of co-registration is known and falls below an acceptable level. It is very important to evaluate an error of each fusion result. This parameter, while unknown, may lead to incorrect diagnostic decisions, especially when none of the anatomical structures are visualized, like in case of imaging iodine-131 patients.