PhD defence
Towards Clinical Implementation of Quantitative PET and SPECT Imaging
- A. van de Burgt
- Date
- Tuesday 21 October 2025
- Time
- Location
-
Academy Building
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden
Supervisor(s)
- Prof. dr. L.F. de Geus-Oei
- dr. F.H.P. van Velden
- dr. I.A. Dekkers
Summary
Quantitative positron emission tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) have made significant advancements in recent decades and are now incorporated into several clinical guidelines. However, there is considerable potential for their broader application across other indications. The aim of this thesis was to deepen the understanding of quantitative PET and SPECT in clinical settings, explore their potential beyond current applications, and establish a foundation for their broader implementation in clinical practice.
This thesis investigated the role of quantitative PET and SPECT in various clinical applications. Dynamic [⁸²Rb]Cl PET/CT showed potential to detect differences in renal hemodynamics between stress and rest conditions and may serve as a novel diagnostic tool for renal perfusion. Although [¹⁸F]FDG-PET/CT revealed no quantitative differences between long COVID patients and controls, the study contributes to the growing understanding of its utility in this context. The use of a digital PET system demonstrated the feasibility of substantially reducing tracer dose and/or scan time while maintaining EARL-compliant image quality. Moreover, (semi)quantitative SPECT showed promising value for therapy monitoring in coronary artery disease and response prediction in locally advanced breast cancer. In summary, these findings support broader implementation of quantitative PET and SPECT in clinical care.
PhD dissertations
Approximately one week after the defence, PhD dissertations by Leiden PhD students are available digitally through the Leiden Repository, that offers free access to these PhD dissertations. Please note that in some cases a dissertation may be under embargo temporarily and access to its full-text version will only be granted later.
Press enquiries (journalists only)
General information
Beadle's Office
pedel@bb.leidenuniv.nl
+31 71 527 7211