{
  "abstract": "Objective. $^{43}$Sc and $^{44}$Sc are positron-emitting isotopes of scandium that have attracted growing interest for theranostic applications in conjunction with the therapeutic isotope $^{47}$Sc. Both isotopes are non-pure positron emitters, and the associated prompt-gamma emission together with the high positron energy introduce complexities in achieving precise quantitative imaging. Approach. We evaluated the quantitative imaging performance of $^{44}$Sc and a $^{43/44}$Sc mixture on a long axial field-of-view (LAFOV) PET/CT using a NEMA IEC body phantom. We assessed contrast recovery coefficients, image noise and bias for different numbers of iterations and for absolute versus relative scatter correction, and implemented an isotope-specific point-spread-function (PSF) correction based on FLUKA-simulated positron ranges. Main results. The quantitative imaging performance of both isotopes is comparable to $^{18}$F, and the vendor's prompt-gamma correction effectively suppresses the additional random coincidences and lung error caused by prompt-gamma emission. The isotope-specific PSF correction further improves contrast recovery. While the bias obtained for $^{44}$Sc meets the EARL acceptance criterion for non-standard radionuclides, the bias for the $^{43/44}$Sc mixture exceeds it, which we attribute to the mixture-specific cross-calibration of the dose calibrators rather than to the PET imaging. Significance. Our results support the use of LAFOV PET/CT for quantitative imaging of scandium isotopes and provide practical reconstruction recommendations for clinical protocols.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.28884",
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Lorenzo Mercolli"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mohammadreza Teimoorisichani"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alenka E. Gaschen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Pascal V. Grundler"
    },
    {
      "name": "Anzhelika N. Moiseeva"
    },
    {
      "name": "Saverio Braccini"
    },
    {
      "name": "Nicholas P. van der Meulen"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3mnaw05vve709.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.28884",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "3mnaw05vve709",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.28884",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.med-ph"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2741|Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223212241",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.28884",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-20",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3mnaw05vve709.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:34:19Z",
      "native_id": "2610.28884",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.28884"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.med-ph",
      "subfield": "biological-medical"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Quantitative Imaging of Scandium Isotopes with a Long Axial Field-of-View PET/CT",
  "title_text": "Quantitative Imaging of Scandium Isotopes with a Long Axial Field-of-View PET/CT",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:34:19Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3mnaw05vve709",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}