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Title: Un-collimated single-photon imaging system for high-sensitivity small animal and plant imaging

Abstract

In preclinical single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system development the primary objective has been to improve spatial resolution by using novel parallel-hole or multi-pinhole collimator geometries. Furthermore, such high-resolution systems have relatively poor sensitivity (typically 0.01% to 0.1%). In contrast, a system that does not use collimators can achieve very high-sensitivity. Here we present a high-sensitivity un-collimated detector single-photon imaging (UCD-SPI) system for the imaging of both small animals and plants. This scanner consists of two thin, closely spaced, pixelated scintillator detectors that use NaI(Tl), CsI(Na), or BGO. The performance of the system has been characterized by measuring sensitivity, spatial resolution, linearity, detection limits, and uniformity. With 99mTc (140 keV) at the center of the field of view (20 mm scintillator separation), the sensitivity was measured to be 31.8% using the NaI(Tl) detectors and 40.2% with CsI(Na). The best spatial resolution (FWHM when the image formed as the geometric mean of the two detector heads, 20 mm scintillator separation) was 19.0 mm for NaI(Tl) and 11.9 mm for CsI(Na) at 140 keV, and 19.5 mm for BGO at 1116 keV, which is somewhat degraded compared to the cm-scale resolution obtained with only one detector head and a close source. Themore » quantitative accuracy of the system’s linearity is better than 2% with detection down to activity levels of 100 nCi. Two in vivo animal studies (a renal scan using 99mTc MAG-3 and a thyroid scan with 123I) and one plant study (a 99mTcO4- xylem transport study) highlight the unique capabilities of this UCD-SPI system. From the renal scan, we observe approximately a one thousand-fold increase in sensitivity compared to the Siemens Inveon SPECT/CT scanner. In conclusion, UCD-SPI is useful for many imaging tasks that do not require excellent spatial resolution, such as high-throughput screening applications, simple radiotracer uptake studies in tumor xenografts, dynamic studies where very good temporal resolution is critical, or in planta imaging of radioisotopes at low concentrations.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States). Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
OSTI Identifier:
1357199
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0005311
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physics in Medicine and Biology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 60; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9155
Publisher:
IOP Publishing
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; aensitivity; SPECT; small animal imaging; plant imaging

Citation Formats

Walker, Katherine L., Judenhofer, Martin S., Cherry, Simon R., and Mitchell, Gregory S. Un-collimated single-photon imaging system for high-sensitivity small animal and plant imaging. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/60/1/403.
Walker, Katherine L., Judenhofer, Martin S., Cherry, Simon R., & Mitchell, Gregory S. Un-collimated single-photon imaging system for high-sensitivity small animal and plant imaging. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0031-9155/60/1/403
Walker, Katherine L., Judenhofer, Martin S., Cherry, Simon R., and Mitchell, Gregory S. Fri . "Un-collimated single-photon imaging system for high-sensitivity small animal and plant imaging". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0031-9155/60/1/403. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1357199.
@article{osti_1357199,
title = {Un-collimated single-photon imaging system for high-sensitivity small animal and plant imaging},
author = {Walker, Katherine L. and Judenhofer, Martin S. and Cherry, Simon R. and Mitchell, Gregory S.},
abstractNote = {In preclinical single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system development the primary objective has been to improve spatial resolution by using novel parallel-hole or multi-pinhole collimator geometries. Furthermore, such high-resolution systems have relatively poor sensitivity (typically 0.01% to 0.1%). In contrast, a system that does not use collimators can achieve very high-sensitivity. Here we present a high-sensitivity un-collimated detector single-photon imaging (UCD-SPI) system for the imaging of both small animals and plants. This scanner consists of two thin, closely spaced, pixelated scintillator detectors that use NaI(Tl), CsI(Na), or BGO. The performance of the system has been characterized by measuring sensitivity, spatial resolution, linearity, detection limits, and uniformity. With 99mTc (140 keV) at the center of the field of view (20 mm scintillator separation), the sensitivity was measured to be 31.8% using the NaI(Tl) detectors and 40.2% with CsI(Na). The best spatial resolution (FWHM when the image formed as the geometric mean of the two detector heads, 20 mm scintillator separation) was 19.0 mm for NaI(Tl) and 11.9 mm for CsI(Na) at 140 keV, and 19.5 mm for BGO at 1116 keV, which is somewhat degraded compared to the cm-scale resolution obtained with only one detector head and a close source. The quantitative accuracy of the system’s linearity is better than 2% with detection down to activity levels of 100 nCi. Two in vivo animal studies (a renal scan using 99mTc MAG-3 and a thyroid scan with 123I) and one plant study (a 99mTcO4- xylem transport study) highlight the unique capabilities of this UCD-SPI system. From the renal scan, we observe approximately a one thousand-fold increase in sensitivity compared to the Siemens Inveon SPECT/CT scanner. In conclusion, UCD-SPI is useful for many imaging tasks that do not require excellent spatial resolution, such as high-throughput screening applications, simple radiotracer uptake studies in tumor xenografts, dynamic studies where very good temporal resolution is critical, or in planta imaging of radioisotopes at low concentrations.},
doi = {10.1088/0031-9155/60/1/403},
journal = {Physics in Medicine and Biology},
number = 1,
volume = 60,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Dec 12 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Fri Dec 12 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}

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Possibility analysis of bremsstrahlung x-ray imaging of C-14 radionuclide using a LaGPS radiation imaging system
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