Analytic determination of pinhole collimator sensitivity with penetration

Seracam: characterisation of a new small field of view hybrid gamma camera for nuclear medicine

BACKGROUND

Portable gamma cameras are being developed for nuclear medicine procedures such as thyroid scintigraphy. This article introduces Seracam® - a new technology that combines small field of view gamma imaging with optical imaging - and reports its performance and suitability for small organ imaging.

METHODS

The count rate capability, uniformity, spatial resolution, and sensitivity for 99mTc are reported for four integrated pinhole collimators of nominal sizes of 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm and 5 mm. Characterisation methodology is based on NEMA guidelines, with some adjustments necessitated by camera design. Two diagnostic scenarios - thyroid scintigraphy and gastric emptying - are simulated using clinically relevant activities and geometries to investigate application-specific performance. A qualitative assessment of the potential benefits and disadvantages of Seracam is also provided.

RESULTS

Seracam's performance across the measured characteristics is appropriate for small field of view applications in nuclear medicine. At an imaging distance of 50 mm, corresponding to a field of view of 77.6 mm × 77.6 mm, spatial resolution ranged from 4.6 mm to 26 mm and sensitivity from 3.6 cps/MBq to 52.2 cps/MBq, depending on the collimator chosen. Results from the clinical simulations were particularly promising despite the challenging scenarios investigated. The optimal collimator choice was strongly application dependent, with gastric emptying relying on the higher sensitivity of the 5 mm pinhole whereas thyroid imaging benefitted from the enhanced spatial resolution of the 1 mm pinhole. Signal to noise ratio in images was improved by pixel binning. Seracam has lower measured sensitivity when compared to a traditional large field of view gamma camera, for the simulated applications this is balanced by advantages such as high spatial resolution, portability, ease of use and real time gamma-optical image fusion and display.

CONCLUSION

The results show that Seracam has appropriate performance for small organ 99mTc imaging. The results also show that the performance of small field of view systems must be considered holistically and in clinically appropriate scenarios.

Characterization of accurate 3D collimator-detector response function for single- and multi-lofthole collimated SPECT cameras

PURPOSE

Collimator-detector response function (CDRF) of a SPECT scanner refers to the image generated from a point source of activity. This research aims to characterize the CDRF of a breast-dedicated SPECT imager equipped with a lofthole collimator using GATE Monte Carlo simulation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To do so, a cylindrical multi-lofthole collimation system with lofthole apertures dedicated to breast imaging was modeled using the GATE Monte Carlo simulator. The dependency of the CDRF on the source-to-collimator distance of a single-lofthole as well as 8-lofthole collimations was assessed and then compared. In addition, the 3D-sensitivity map of the 8-lofthole collimation was derived. Finally, fair comparisons were conducted between the response of the 8-lofthole collimator and that of an 8-pinhole and also existing analytical derivations. In all cases, a data acquisition period of 5.0 min with an in-air 99mTc point source was considered.

RESULTS

For the single-lofthole collimator, 4.5 times increasing the magnification factor leads to a 16- and twofold improvement in the sensitivity and spatial resolution, respectively. In the single-lofthole collimator, the resolution and sensitivity are degraded as the source-to-aperture distance increases. For the cylindrical 8-lofthole collimator, the findings confirm that CDRF strongly depends on source-to-aperture distance and angle of photon incidence. For a 30 mm in-plane offset point, a 25% increase in sensitivity is observed compared to that of the center of the FOV. Increasing the angle from 0∘ to 34∘ results in a 50% reduction in sensitivity. Furthermore, the findings illustrate that spatial resolution follows a quadratic function as10 - 3 d 2 + 2 × 10 - 4 d + R 0 where d is an offset along the x-, y-, and z-axis, and R0 is the spatial resolution at the center of the FOV.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, both spatial resolution and sensitivity of the lofthole collimation are considerably angle- and offset-dependent within the FOV of single- and multi-lofthole collimated SPECT imagers.

Correction of multiplexing artefacts in multi-pinhole SPECT through temporal shuttering, de-multiplexing of projections, and alternating reconstruction

Objective.Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with pinhole collimators can provide high-resolution imaging, but is often limited by low sensitivity. Acquiring projections simultaneously through multiple pinholes affords both high resolution and high sensitivity. However, the overlap of projections from different pinholes on detectors, known as multiplexing, has been shown to cause artefacts which degrade reconstructed images.Approach.Multiplexed projection sets were considered here using an analytic simulation model of AdaptiSPECT-C-a brain-dedicated multi-pinhole SPECT system. AdaptiSPECT-C has fully adaptable aperture shutters, so can acquire projections with a combination of multiplexed and non-multiplexed frames using temporal shuttering. Two strategies for reducing multiplex artefacts were considered: an algorithm to de-multiplex projections, and an alternating reconstruction strategy for projections acquired with a combination of multiplexed and non-multiplexed frames. Geometric and anthropomorphic digital phantoms were used to assess a number of metrics.Main results.Both de-multiplexing strategies showed a significant reduction in image artefacts and improved fidelity, image uniformity, contrast recovery and activity recovery (AR). In all cases, the two de-multiplexing strategies resulted in superior metrics to those from images acquired with only mux-free frames. The de-multiplexing algorithm provided reduced image noise and superior uniformity, whereas the alternating strategy improved contrast and AR.Significance.The use of these de-multiplexing algorithms means that multi-pinhole SPECT systems can acquire projections with more multiplexing without degradation of images.

Resolution recovery on list mode MLEM reconstruction for dynamic cardiac SPECT system

The Dynamic Cardiac SPECT (DC-SPECT) system is being developed at the Massachusetts General Hospital, featuring a static cardio focus asymmetrical geometry enabling simultaneous high-resolution and high-sensitivity imaging. Among 14 design iterations of the DC-SPECT with varying number of detector heads, system sensitivity and resolution, the current version under development features 10 mm FWHM geometrical resolution (without resolution recovery) and 0.07% sensitivity at the center of the FOV, this is 1.5× resolution gain and 7× sensitivity gain compared to a conventional dual head gamma camera (0.01% sensitivity and 15-mm resolution). This work presents improvement in imaging resolution by implementing a spatially variant point spread function (SV-PSF) with list mode MLEM reconstruction. A resolution recovery method by PSF deconvolution is validated on list mode MLEM reconstruction for the DC-SPECT. A spatial invariant PSF is included as an additional test to show the influence of the PSF modelling accuracy on reconstructed image quality. We compare the MLEM reconstruction with and without PSF deconvolution; an analytic model is used for the calculation of system response, and the results are compared to the reconstruction with system modelling using Monte Carlo (MC) based methods. Results show that with PSF modelling applied, the quality of the reconstructed image is improved, and the DC-SPECT system can achieve a 4.5 mm central spatial resolution with average 795 counts/Mbq. Both the SV-PSF and the spatial-invariant PSF improve the image quality, and the reconstruction with SV-PSF generates line profiles closer to the ground truth. The results show substantial improvement over the GE Discovery 570c performance (7 mm spatial resolution with an average 460 counts/MBq, 5.8 mm resolution at the FOV center). The impact of PSF deconvolution is significant, improvement of the reconstructed image quality is evident in comparison to MC simulated system matrix with the same sampling size in the simulation.

Characterization and Assessment of Projection Probability Density Function and Enhanced Sampling in Self-Collimation SPECT

We have recently reported a self-collimation SPECT (SC-SPECT) design concept that constructs sensitive detectors in a multi-ring interspaced mosaic architecture to simultaneously improve system spatial resolution and sensitivity. In this work, through numerical and Monte-Carlo simulation studies, we investigate this new design concept by analyzing its projection probability density functions (PPDF) and the effects of enhanced sampling, i.e. having rotational and translational object movements during imaging. We first quantitatively characterize PPDFs by their widths and edge slopes. Then we compare the PPDFs of an SC-SPECT and a series of multiple-pinhole SPECT (MPH-SPECT) systems and assess the impact of PPDFs - combined with enhanced sampling - on image contrast recovery coefficient and variance through phantom studies. We show the PPDFs of SC- SPECT have steeper edges and a wider range of width, and these attributes enable SC-SPECT to achieve better performance.

Intraoperative Gamma Cameras: A Review of Development in the Last Decade and Future Outlook

Portable gamma cameras suitable for intraoperative imaging are in active development and testing. These cameras utilise a range of collimation, detection, and readout architectures, each of which can have significant and interacting impacts on the performance of the system as a whole. In this review, we provide an analysis of intraoperative gamma camera development over the past decade. The designs and performance of 17 imaging systems are compared in depth. We discuss where recent technological developments have had the greatest impact, identify emerging technological and scientific requirements, and predict future research directions. This is a comprehensive review of the current and emerging state-of-the-art as more devices enter clinical practice.

Photonics enabled intelligence system to identify SARS-CoV 2 mutations

Abstract

The COVID-19, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV are hazardous epidemics that have resulted in many deaths which caused a worldwide debate. Despite control efforts, SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread, and the fast spread of this highly infectious illness has posed a grave threat to global health. The effect of the SARS-CoV-2 mutation, on the other hand, has been characterized by worrying variations that modify viral characteristics in response to the changing resistance profile of the human population. The repeated transmission of virus mutation indicates that epidemics are likely to occur. Therefore, an early identification system of ongoing mutations of SARS-CoV-2 will provide essential insights for planning and avoiding future outbreaks. This article discussed the following highlights: First, comparing the omicron mutation with other variants; second, analysis and evaluation of the spread rate of the SARS-CoV 2 variations in the countries; third, identification of mutation areas in spike protein; and fourth, it discussed the photonics approaches enabled with artificial intelligence. Therefore, our goal is to identify the SARS-CoV 2 virus directly without the need for sample preparation or molecular amplification procedures. Furthermore, by connecting through the optical network, the COVID-19 test becomes a component of the Internet of healthcare things to improve precision, service efficiency, and flexibility and provide greater availability for the evaluation of the general population.

Key points

• A proposed framework of photonics based on AI for identifying and sorting SARS-CoV 2 mutations.

• Comparative scatter rates Omicron variant and other SARS-CoV 2 variations per country.

• Evaluating mutation areas in spike protein and AI enabled by photonic technologies for SARS-CoV 2 virus detection.

Stereoscopic portable hybrid gamma imaging for source depth estimation

Advances in gamma imaging technology mean that is now technologically feasible to conduct stereoscopic gamma imaging in a hand-held unit. This paper derives an analytical model for stereoscopic pinhole imaging which can be used to predict performance for a wide range of camera configurations. Investigation of this concept through Monte Carlo and benchtop studies, for an example configuration, shows camera-source distance measurements with a mean deviation between calculated and actual distances of <5 mm for imaging distances of 50-250 mm. By combining this technique with stereoscopic optical imaging, we are then able to calculate the depth of a radioisotope source beneath a surface without any external positional tracking. This new hybrid technique has the potential to improve surgical localisation in procedures such as sentinel lymph node biopsy.

Performance assessment of the ALBIRA II pre-clinical SPECT S102 system for 99mTc imaging

OBJECTIVE

The performance characteristics of the SPECT sub-system S102 of the ALBIRA II PET/SPECT/CT are analyzed for the 80 mm field of view (FOV) to evaluate the potential in-vivo imaging in rats, based on measurements of the system response for the commonly used Technetium-99 m (99mTc) in small animal imaging.

METHODS

The ALBIRA II tri-modal µPET/SPECT/CT pre-clinical system (Bruker BioSpin, Ettlingen, Germany) was used. The SPECT modality is made up of two opposite gamma cameras (Version S102) with Sodium doped Cesium Iodide (CsI(Na)) single continuous crystal detectors coupled to position-sensitive photomultipliers (PSPMTs). Imaging was performed with the NEMA NU-4 image quality phantom (Data Spectrum Corporation, Durham, USA). Measurements were performed with a starting activity concentration of 4.76 MBq/mL 99mTc. An energy window of 20% at 140 keV was selected in this study. The system offers a 20 mm, 40 mm, 60 mm and an 80 mm field of view (FOV) and in this study the 80 mm FOV was used for all the acquisitions. The data were reconstructed with an ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithm. Sensitivity, spatial resolution, count rate linearity, convergence of the algorithm and the recovery coefficients (RC) were analyzed. All analyses were performed with PMOD and MATLAB software.

RESULTS

The sensitivities measured at the center of the 80 mm FOV with the point source were 23.1 ± 0.3 cps/MBq (single pinhole SPH) and 105.6 ± 5.5 cps/MBq (multi pinhole MPH). The values for the axial, tangential and radial full width at half maximum (FWHM) were 2.51, 2.54, and 2.55 mm with SPH and 2.35, 2.44 and 2.32 mm with MPH, respectively. The corresponding RC values for the 5 mm, 4 mm, 3 mm and 2 mm rods were 0.60 ± 0.28, 0.61 ± 0.24, 0.29 ± 0.11 and 0.20 ± 0.06 with SPH and 0.56 ± 0.20, 0.50 ± 0.18, 0.38 ± 0.09 and 0.23 ± 0.06 with MPH. To obtain quantitative imaging data, the image reconstructions should be performed with 12 iterations.

CONCLUSION

The ALBIRA II preclinical SPECT sub-system S102 has a favorable sensitivity and spatial resolution for the 80 mm FOV setting for both the SPH and MPH configurations and is a valuable tool for small animal imaging.

The clinical utilities of multi-pinhole single photon emission computed tomography

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is an important imaging modality for various applications in nuclear medicine. The use of multi-pinhole (MPH) collimators can provide superior resolution-sensitivity trade-off when imaging small field-of-view compared to conventional parallel-hole and fan-beam collimators. Besides the very successful application in small animal imaging, there has been a resurgence of the use of MPH collimators for clinical cardiac and brain studies, as well as other small field-of-view applications. This article reviews the basic principles of MPH collimators and introduces currently available and proposed clinical MPH SPECT systems.

Joint Optimization of Collimator and Reconstruction Parameters in X-Ray Fluorescence Computed Tomography Using Analytical Point Spread Function and Model Observer

OBJECTIVE

To jointly optimize collimator design and image reconstruction algorithm in X-ray Fluorescence Computed Tomography (XFCT) for imaging low concentrations of high atomic number (Z) elements in small animal models.

METHODS

Single pinhole (SPH) collimator and three types of multi-pinhole (MPH) collimators were evaluated. MPH collimators with 5, 7, and 9 pinholes using lead, stainless steel and brass were considered. A digital cylindrical phantom (0.5 mm3 voxels) of 25 mm diameter and 25 mm height with a central 5 mm diameter and 12.5 mm height cylindrical insert containing gold nanoparticles (2:1 insert: background concentration) was modeled. A 125 kVp, 2 mm Sn filtered x-ray spectrum (0.5 cGy/projection) for gold K-shell XFCT was considered. System matrices were implemented using analytical point spread functions (PSF) for each pinhole collimator. Poisson noise was added to the projection data (16 equiangular views) before image reconstruction using Maximum-Likelihood Expectation-Maximization (ML-EM) algorithm. Signal-present and signal-absent images were generated for the detection task performed by a channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) with 10 Dense Difference-of-Gaussian channels. The area under the curve (AUC) in receiver operating characteristic was used as the image quality metric.

RESULTS

A stainless steel focusing type MPH with 7 pinholes and 20 iterations of ML-EM provided the highest AUC.

CONCLUSION

MPH collimators outperformed SPH collimators for XFCT and consistently high AUCs were observed with focusing type MPH designs with 7 pinholes.

SIGNIFICANCE

The combinations of collimator design and image reconstruction parameters that maximized AUC were identified, which could improve the performance of XFCT.

Analytic Determination of Rectangular-Pinhole Sensitivity With Penetration

Modern small-animal SPECT systems use multiple pinhole collimators per detector to increase sensitivity while still maintaining high resolution. This resolution is a combination of aperture resolution combined with detector resolution, which is mitigated by magnification. Higher magnification results in better resolution, but fewer apertures per detector. When multiple pinhole collimators project onto the same detector, those with a rectangular field of view (FOV) can be packed more tightly than those with a circular FOV. In addition, a rectangular aperture can be used to obtain different resolution-sensitivity tradeoffs in the two orthogonal directions. Thus, these rectangular-pinhole collimators can have independent FOVs and independent resolution values in the two directions of the rectangular aperture. Previous work has determined the amount of penetration for circular pinholes (i.e., circular apertures with circular FOVs), where the pinhole walls were modeled as cones. In this work, a formula for the penetrative sensitivity for rectangular apertures with a rectangular FOV is determined. The formula was validated using numerical calculations for various combinations of acceptance angles, aperture sizes, linear attenuation coefficients, and incidence angles.

System geometry optimization for molecular breast tomosynthesis with focusing multi-pinhole collimators

Imaging of ^99mTc-labelled tracers is gaining popularity for detecting breast tumours. Recently, we proposed a novel design for molecular breast tomosynthesis (MBT) based on two sliding focusing multi-pinhole collimators that scan a modestly compressed breast. Simulation studies indicate that MBT has the potential to improve the tumour-to-background contrast-to-noise ratio significantly over state-of-the-art planar molecular breast imaging. The aim of the present paper is to optimize the collimator-detector geometry of MBT. Using analytical models, we first optimized sensitivity at different fixed system resolutions (ranging from 5 to 12 mm) by tuning the pinhole diameters and the distance between breast and detector for a whole series of automatically generated multi-pinhole designs. We evaluated both MBT with a conventional continuous crystal detector with 3.2 mm intrinsic resolution and with a pixelated detector with 1.6 mm pixels. Subsequently, full system simulations of a breast phantom containing several lesions were performed for the optimized geometry at each system resolution for both types of detector. From these simulations, we found that tumour-to-background contrast-to-noise ratio was highest for systems in the 7 mm-10 mm system resolution range over which it hardly varied. No significant differences between the two detector types were found.

Design of a Tri-PET collimator for high-resolution whole-body mouse imaging

PURPOSE

Tri-PET refers to high-resolution 511-keV emission tomography using a multipinhole collimator in conjunction with lower resolution PET detectors operating in coincidence mode. Tri-PET is unique in that three spatial locations are associated with each event (two detector coordinates and one pinhole location). Spatial resolution and sensitivity are similar to that of 511-keV SPECT and are governed mainly by the collimator design. However because of a third spatial location in Tri-PET, the line-of-response is overdetermined. This feature permits new opportunities in data processing which impact collimator design. In particular, multiplexing can be avoided since the coincidence data identify the pinhole through which the photon passed. In this paper, the principles of Tri-PET collimator design are reviewed and then applied to the case of high-resolution imaging of a small animal in a clinical PET scanner.

METHODS

The design of a 148-pinhole collimator for whole-body imaging of a mouse is presented. Two pinhole designs were investigated: knife-edge pinholes with 1.1 mm aperture and novel hyperboloidal pinholes with 1.2 mm aperture, both having 18° cone angle. The pinhole configuration is unfocused, covering a whole-body mouse field of view with nearly uniform sensitivity. Computer simulations were performed of a micro hot rods phantom imaged with this collimator in a clinical PET scanner. Sensitivity was estimated by simulating a point source centered on-axis at locations spanning a 70-mm axial range, similar to the NEMA NU-4 standard for whole-body mouse imaging.

RESULTS

Reconstructed images of the hot rods phantom demonstrated the ability to resolve 1.1 mm structures with the knife-edge pinholes and 1.0 mm structures with the hyperboloidal pinholes. Sensitivity was found to be 0.093% and 0.054% for the knife-edge and hyperboloidal pinholes, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

With a properly designed multipinhole collimator, high-resolution and acceptable sensitivity are achievable with Tri-PET using ordinary clinical PET detectors.

Development and Evaluation of Image Reconstruction Algorithms for a Novel Desktop SPECT System

OBJECTIVE S

Various iterative reconstruction algorithms in nuclear medicine have been introduced in the last three decades. For each new imaging system, it is wise to select appropriate image reconstruction algorithms and evaluate their performance. In this study, three approaches of image reconstruction were developed for a novel desktop open-gantry SPECT system, PERSPECT, to assess their performance in terms of the quality of the resultant reconstructed images.

METHODS

In the present work, a proposed image reconstruction algorithm for the PERSPECT, referred to as quasi-simultaneous multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (qSMART), together with two popular image reconstruction methods, maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization (MLEM) and ordered-subsets EM (OSEM), were implemented and compared. Analytic and Monte Carlo simulations were applied for data acquisition of various phantoms including a micro-Derenzo phantom. All acquired data were reconstructed by the three algorithms using different number of iterations (1-40 ). A thorough set of figures-of-merit was utilized to quantitatively compare the generated images.

RESULTS

OSEM depicted reconstructed images of higher (or matching) quality in comparison to qSMART. MLEM also reached nearly similar quality as OSEM but at higher number of iterations. The graph of data discrepancy revealed that the ranking of the three approaches in terms of convergence speed is as qSMART, OSEM, and MLEM. Furthermore, bias-versus-noise curves indicated that optimal bias-noise results were achieved using OSEM.

CONCLUSION

The results showed that although qSMART can be applied for image reconstruction if being halted in the early iterations (up to 5), the best achievable quality of images is obtained using the OSEM.

Simulation study of a novel target oriented SPECT design using a variable pinhole collimator

PURPOSE

In the past decade, demands for organ specific (target oriented) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is increasing, and several groups have conducted studies on developing clinical dedicated SPECT with pinhole collimator to improve the spatial resolution. However, acceptance angle of the collimator cannot be adjusted to fit the different ROIs of target objects because the shape of pinhole could not be changed, and the magnifying factor cannot be maximized as the collimator-to-detector distance is fixed. Furthermore, those dedicated pinhole SPECTs are typically made for a single purpose and therefore possess a drawback in that it cannot be utilized for any other purpose. In this study, we propose a novel SPECT system using variable pinhole collimator (VP SPECT) whose parameters are flexible.

METHODS

The proposed variable pinhole collimator is modeled on conventional pinhole by piling several tungsten layers of different apertures. Depending on the combination of the holes in each layer, a variety of hole diameters and acceptance angles of the pinhole can be made. In addition, VP SPECT system allows attaching the collimator to the object as close as possible to maximize the sensitivity and adjust the distance of the pinhole from the scintillation detector to optimize the system resolution for each rotation angle, automatically. For quantitative measurement, we compared the sensitivity and spatial resolution of VP SPECT with those of conventional pinhole SPECT. To determine the possibility of the clinical and preclinical use of proposed system, a digital mouse whole-body (MOBY) phantom is used for simulating the live mouse model.

RESULTS

The result of simulation using ultra-micro hot spot phantom shows that the sensitivity of the proposed VP SPECT system is about 297% of that of the conventional system. While hot rods of diameter 0.6 mm can be distinguished in the image with the proposed VP SPECT system, 1.2-mm hot rods are barely discernible in the conventional pinhole SPECT image. According to the result of MOBY phantom simulation, heart walls separated by 3 mm were not distinguished in conventional pinhole SPECT images, but were clearly discerned in VP SPECT images.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, we designed a novel pinhole collimator for SPECT and presented preliminary results of target oriented imaging with a simulation study. Currently, we are pursuing strategies to realize the proposed system, with the goal to apply the technology into a high-sensitivity and high-resolution preclinical SPECT. Should VP SPECT be applied to the clinical setting, we anticipate a high-sensitivity, high-resolution system for applications such as heart dedicated SPECT or related fields.

Using Rose's metal alloy as a pinhole collimator material in preclinical small-animal imaging: a Monte Carlo evaluation

PURPOSE

Pinhole collimation is the most common method of high-resolution preclinical single photon emission computed tomography imaging. The collimators are usually constructed from dense materials with high atomic numbers, such as gold and platinum, which are expensive and not always flexible in the fabrication step. In this work, the authors have investigated the properties of a fusible alloy called Rose's metal and its potential in pinhole preclinical imaging. When compared to current standard pinhole materials such as gold and platinum, Rose's metal has a lower density and a relatively low effective atomic number. However, it is inexpensive, has a low melting point, and does not contract when solidifying. Once cast, the piece can be machined with high precision. The aim of this study was to evaluate the imaging properties for Rose's metal and compare them with those of standard materials.

METHODS

After validating their Monte Carlo code by comparing its results with published data and the results from analytical calculations, they investigated different pinhole geometries by varying the collimator material, acceptance angle, aperture diameter, and photon incident angle. The penetration-to-scatter and penetration-to-total component ratios, sensitivity, and the spatial resolution were determined for gold, tungsten, and Rose's metal for two radionuclides, (99)Tc(m) and (125)I.

RESULTS

The Rose's metal pinhole-imaging simulations show higher penetration/total and scatter/total ratios. For example, the penetration/total is 50% for gold and 75% for Rose's metal when simulating (99)Tc(m) with a 0.3 mm aperture diameter and a 60° acceptance angle. However, the degradation in spatial resolution remained below 10% relative to the spatial resolution for gold for acceptance angles below 40° and aperture diameters larger than 0.5 mm.

CONCLUSIONS

Extra penetration and scatter associated with Rose's metal contribute to degradation in the spatial resolution, but this degradation is not always substantial. The most important factor besides the collimator material was the acceptance angle. This should be kept to a minimum to prevent unnecessary scatter and penetration. For (125)I, the difference in spatial resolution between gold and Rose's metal is very small, 2.2% in the worst-case scenario. Based on these results, the authors conclude that Rose's metal is an alternative to standard materials not only for low-energy photon imaging but also for medium-energy applications that require low-cost, flexible pinhole configurations and designs, and that can tolerate a degraded spatial resolution.

Investigation of imaging properties for submillimeter rectangular pinholes

PURPOSE

Recently, a multipinhole collimator with inserts that have both rectangular apertures and rectangular fields of view (FOVs) has been proposed for SPECT imaging since it can tile the projection onto the detector efficiently and the FOVs in transverse and axial directions become separable. The purpose of this study is to investigate the image properties of rectangular-aperture pinholes with submillimeter apertures sizes.

METHODS

In this work, the authors have conducted sensitivity and FOV experiments for 18 replicates of a prototype insert fabricated in platinum/iridium (Pt/Ir) alloy with submillimeter square-apertures. A sin(q)θ fit to the experimental sensitivity has been performed for these inserts. For the FOV measurement, the authors have proposed a new formula to calculate the projection intensity of a flood image on the detector, taking into account the penumbra effect. By fitting this formula to the measured projection data, the authors obtained the acceptance angles.

RESULTS

The mean (standard deviation) of fitted sensitivity exponents q and effective edge lengths we were, respectively, 10.8 (1.8) and 0.38 mm (0.02 mm), which were close to the values, 7.84 and 0.396 mm, obtained from Monte Carlo calculations using the parameters of the designed inserts. For the FOV measurement, the mean (standard deviation) of the transverse and axial acceptances were 35.0° (1.2°) and 30.5° (1.6°), which are in good agreement with the designed values (34.3° and 29.9°).

CONCLUSIONS

These results showed that the physical properties of the fabricated inserts with submillimeter aperture size matched our design well.

Review of SPECT collimator selection, optimization, and fabrication for clinical and preclinical imaging

In single photon emission computed tomography, the choice of the collimator has a major impact on the sensitivity and resolution of the system. Traditional parallel-hole and fan-beam collimators used in clinical practice, for example, have a relatively poor sensitivity and subcentimeter spatial resolution, while in small-animal imaging, pinhole collimators are used to obtain submillimeter resolution and multiple pinholes are often combined to increase sensitivity. This paper reviews methods for production, sensitivity maximization, and task-based optimization of collimation for both clinical and preclinical imaging applications. New opportunities for improved collimation are now arising primarily because of (i) new collimator-production techniques and (ii) detectors with improved intrinsic spatial resolution that have recently become available. These new technologies are expected to impact the design of collimators in the future. The authors also discuss concepts like septal penetration, high-resolution applications, multiplexing, sampling completeness, and adaptive systems, and the authors conclude with an example of an optimization study for a parallel-hole, fan-beam, cone-beam, and multiple-pinhole collimator for different applications.

Multipinhole collimator with 20 apertures for a brain SPECT application

PURPOSE

Several new technologies for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) instrumentation with parallel-hole collimation have been proposed to improve detector sensitivity and signal collection efficiency. Benefits from improved signal efficiency include shorter acquisition times and lower dose requirements. In this paper, the authors show a possibility of over an order of magnitude enhancement in photon detection efficiency (from 7.6 × 10(-5) to 1.6 × 10(-3)) for dopamine transporter (DaT) imaging of the striatum over the conventional SPECT parallel-hole collimators by use of custom-designed 20 multipinhole (20-MPH) collimators with apertures of 0.75 cm diameter.

METHODS

Quantifying specific binding ratio (SBR) of (123)I-ioflupane or (123)I-iometopane's signal at the striatal region is a common brain imaging method to confirm the diagnosis of the Parkinson's disease. The authors performed imaging of a striatal phantom filled with aqueous solution of I-123 and compared camera recovery ratios of SBR acquired between low-energy high-resolution (LEHR) parallel-hole collimators and 20-MPH collimators.

RESULTS

With only two-thirds of total acquisition time (20 min against 30 min), a comparable camera recovery ratio of SBR was achieved using 20-MPH collimators in comparison to that from the LEHR collimator study.

CONCLUSIONS

Their systematic analyses showed that the 20-MPH collimator could be a promising alternative for the DaT SPECT imaging for brain over the traditional LEHR collimator, which could give both shorter scan time and improved diagnostic accuracy.

Toward Simultaneous Real-Time Fluoroscopic and Nuclear Imaging in the Intervention Room

PURPOSE

To investigate the technical feasibility of hybrid simultaneous fluoroscopic and nuclear imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An x-ray tube, an x-ray detector, and a gamma camera were positioned in one line, enabling imaging of the same field of view. Since a straightforward combination of these elements would block the lines of view, a gamma camera setup was developed to be able to view around the x-ray tube. A prototype was built by using a mobile C-arm and a gamma camera with a four-pinhole collimator. By using the prototype, test images were acquired and sensitivity, resolution, and coregistration error were analyzed.

RESULTS

Nuclear images (two frames per second) were acquired simultaneously with fluoroscopic images. Depending on the distance from point source to detector, the system resolution was 1.5-1.9-cm full width at half maximum, the sensitivity was (0.6-1.5) × 10(-5) counts per decay, and the coregistration error was -0.13 to 0.15 cm. With good spatial and temporal alignment of both modalities throughout the field of view, fluoroscopic images can be shown in grayscale and corresponding nuclear images in color overlay.

CONCLUSION

Measurements obtained with the hybrid imaging prototype device that combines simultaneous fluoroscopic and nuclear imaging of the same field of view have demonstrated the feasibility of real-time simultaneous hybrid imaging in the intervention room.

Design optimization of multi-pinhole micro-SPECT configurations by signal detection tasks and system performance evaluations for mouse cardiac imaging

An optimized configuration of multi-pinhole aperture can improve the spatial resolution and the sensitivity of pinhole SPECT simultaneously. In this study, an optimization strategy of the multi-pinhole configuration with a small detector is proposed for mouse cardiac imaging. A 14 mm-diameter spherical field-of-view (FOV) is used to accommodate the mouse heart. To accelerate the optimization process, the analytic models are applied to rapidly obtain the projection areas of the FOV, the sensitivities and the spatial resolutions of numerous system designs. The candidates of optimal multi-pinhole configuration are then decided by the preliminary evaluations with the analytic models. Subsequently, the pinhole SPECT systems equipped with the designed multi-pinhole apertures are modeled in GATE to generate the imaging system matrices (H matrices) for the system performance assessments. The area under the ROC curves (AUC) of the designed systems is evaluated by signal-known-exactly/background-known-statistically detection tasks with their corresponding H matrices. In addition, the spatial resolutions are estimated by the Fourier crosstalk approach, and the sensitivities are calculated with the H matrices of designed systems, respectively. Furthermore, a series of OSEM reconstruction images of synthetic phantoms, including the hot-rod phantom, mouse heart phantom and Defrise phantom, are reconstructed with the H matrices of designed systems. To quantify the sensitivity and resolution competition in the optimization process, the AUC from the detection tasks and the resolution estimated by the Fourier crosstalk are used as the figure of merits. A trade-off function of AUC and resolution is introduced to find the optimal multi-pinhole configuration. According to the examining results, a 22.5° rotated detector plus a 4-pinhole aperture with 22.5° rotation, 20% multiplexing and 1.52X magnification is the optimized multi-pinhole configuration for the micro pinhole-SPECT applied to mouse cardiac imaging with a camera of 49  ×  49 mm(2) active area.

The effect of object size on the sensitivity of single photon emission computed tomography: comparison of two CZT cardiac cameras and an Anger scintillation camera

Background

Heart sizes vary greatly across the spectrum of patients referred for myocardial perfusion imaging. We therefore performed a phantom study to explore under controlled circumstances how count rates change when different volumes containing the same amount of activity are scanned. Two dedicated cadmium-zinc-telluride cameras, the D-SPECT (Spectrum Dynamics, Caesarea, Israel) and Discovery 530c (D530c, GE Healthcare, Haifa, Israel), and the conventional SPECT Anger (A-SPECT, GE Healthcare, Haifa, Israel) camera are included in the study.

Methods

Different heart sizes were represented by syringes of various column heights mimicking a range of cardiac diameters. Syringes with fixed activity were scanned at five different volumes by successively adding non-radioactive water to the syringes. This procedure was repeated five times on each of the three cameras. Raw count rates were recorded for each scan to determine whether count rates changed with syringe column height.

Results

Using mixed-effect regression modeling, a linear relationship was found between count rate and water column height. For the D-SPECT, D530c, and A-SPECT, the changes in count rate for each centimeter increase in water column height were −1.75, +0.28, and −0.022 kilocounts per min per MBq, respectively (95% confidence intervals −1.89 to −1.61, 0.19 to 0.36, and −0.035 to −0.009); all effects are significantly different from each other and significantly different from zero. Average coefficients of variation were 0.080, 0.028, and 0.009.

Conclusions

The D-SPECT demonstrated a significant progressive increase in count rate related to decreasing size of the imaged object. D530c count rate increased slightly with increasing column height. The Anger SPECT showed minimally increased count rates with decreasing column height, an order of magnitude smaller than the D-SPECT based on their relative coefficients of variation.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40658-014-0097-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Design and performance of a compact and stationary microSPECT system

PURPOSE

Over the last ten years, there has been an extensive growth in the development of microSPECT imagers. Most of the systems are based on the combination of conventional, relatively large gamma cameras with poor intrinsic spatial resolution and multipinhole collimators working in large magnification mode. Spatial resolutions range from 0.58 to 0.76 mm while peak sensitivities vary from 0.06% to 0.4%. While pushing the limits of performance is of major importance, the authors believe that there is a need for smaller and less complex systems that bring along a reduced cost. While low footprint and low-cost systems can make microSPECT available to more researchers, the ease of operation and calibration and low maintenance cost are additional factors that can facilitate the use of microSPECT in molecular imaging. In this paper, the authors simulate the performance of a microSPECT imager that combines high space-bandwidth detectors and pinholes with truncated projection, resulting in a small and stationary system.

METHODS

A system optimization algorithm is used to determine the optimal SPECT systems, given our high resolutions detectors and a fixed field-of-view. These optimal system geometries are then used to simulate a Defrise disk phantom and a hot rod phantom. Finally, a MOBY mouse phantom, with realistic concentrations of Tc99m-tetrofosmin is simulated.

RESULTS

Results show that the authors can successfully reconstruct a Defrise disk phantom of 24 mm in diameter without any rotating system components or translation of the object. Reconstructed spatial resolution is approximately 800 μm while the peak sensitivity is 0.23%. Finally, the simulation of the MOBY mouse phantom shows that the authors can accurately reconstruct mouse images.

CONCLUSIONS

These results show that pinholes with truncated projections can be used in small magnification or minification mode to obtain a compact and stationary microSPECT system. The authors showed that they can reach state-of-the-art system performance and can successfully reconstruct images with realistic noise levels in a preclinical context. Such a system can be useful for dynamic SPECT imaging.

Onboard functional and molecular imaging: a design investigation for robotic multipinhole SPECT

PURPOSE

Onboard imaging-currently performed primarily by x-ray transmission modalities-is essential in modern radiation therapy. As radiation therapy moves toward personalized medicine, molecular imaging, which views individual gene expression, may also be important onboard. Nuclear medicine methods, such as single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), are premier modalities for molecular imaging. The purpose of this study is to investigate a robotic multipinhole approach to onboard SPECT.

METHODS

Computer-aided design (CAD) studies were performed to assess the feasibility of maneuvering a robotic SPECT system about a patient in position for radiation therapy. In order to obtain fast, high-quality SPECT images, a 49-pinhole SPECT camera was designed which provides high sensitivity to photons emitted from an imaging region of interest. This multipinhole system was investigated by computer-simulation studies. Seventeen hot spots 10 and 7 mm in diameter were placed in the breast region of a supine female phantom. Hot spot activity concentration was six times that of background. For the 49-pinhole camera and a reference, more conventional, broad field-of-view (FOV) SPECT system, projection data were computer simulated for 4-min scans and SPECT images were reconstructed. Hot-spot localization was evaluated using a nonprewhitening forced-choice numerical observer.

RESULTS

The CAD simulation studies found that robots could maneuver SPECT cameras about patients in position for radiation therapy. In the imaging studies, most hot spots were apparent in the 49-pinhole images. Average localization errors for 10-mm- and 7-mm-diameter hot spots were 0.4 and 1.7 mm, respectively, for the 49-pinhole system, and 3.1 and 5.7 mm, respectively, for the reference broad-FOV system.

CONCLUSIONS

A robot could maneuver a multipinhole SPECT system about a patient in position for radiation therapy. The system could provide onboard functional and molecular imaging with 4-min scan times.

A line-source method for aligning on-board and other pinhole SPECT systems

PURPOSE

In order to achieve functional and molecular imaging as patients are in position for radiation therapy, a robotic multipinhole SPECT system is being developed. Alignment of the SPECT system-to the linear accelerator (LINAC) coordinate frame and to the coordinate frames of other on-board imaging systems such as cone-beam CT (CBCT)-is essential for target localization and image reconstruction. An alignment method that utilizes line sources and one pinhole projection is proposed and investigated to achieve this goal. Potentially, this method could also be applied to the calibration of the other pinhole SPECT systems.

METHODS

An alignment model consisting of multiple alignment parameters was developed which maps line sources in three-dimensional (3D) space to their two-dimensional (2D) projections on the SPECT detector. In a computer-simulation study, 3D coordinates of line-sources were defined in a reference room coordinate frame, such as the LINAC coordinate frame. Corresponding 2D line-source projections were generated by computer simulation that included SPECT blurring and noise effects. The Radon transform was utilized to detect angles (α) and offsets (ρ) of the line-source projections. Alignment parameters were then estimated by a nonlinear least squares method, based on the α and ρ values and the alignment model. Alignment performance was evaluated as a function of number of line sources, Radon transform accuracy, finite line-source width, intrinsic camera resolution, Poisson noise, and acquisition geometry. Experimental evaluations were performed using a physical line-source phantom and a pinhole-collimated gamma camera attached to a robot.

RESULTS

In computer-simulation studies, when there was no error in determining angles (α) and offsets (ρ) of the measured projections, six alignment parameters (three translational and three rotational) were estimated perfectly using three line sources. When angles (α) and offsets (ρ) were provided by the Radon transform, estimation accuracy was reduced. The estimation error was associated with rounding errors of Radon transform, finite line-source width, Poisson noise, number of line sources, intrinsic camera resolution, and detector acquisition geometry. Statistically, the estimation accuracy was significantly improved by using four line sources rather than three and by thinner line-source projections (obtained by better intrinsic detector resolution). With five line sources, median errors were 0.2 mm for the detector translations, 0.7 mm for the detector radius of rotation, and less than 0.5° for detector rotation, tilt, and twist. In experimental evaluations, average errors relative to a different, independent registration technique were about 1.8 mm for detector translations, 1.1 mm for the detector radius of rotation (ROR), 0.5° and 0.4° for detector rotation and tilt, respectively, and 1.2° for detector twist.

CONCLUSIONS

Alignment parameters can be estimated using one pinhole projection of line sources. Alignment errors are largely associated with limited accuracy of the Radon transform in determining angles (α) and offsets (ρ) of the line-source projections. This alignment method may be important for multipinhole SPECT, where relative pinhole alignment may vary during rotation. For pinhole and multipinhole SPECT imaging on-board radiation therapy machines, the method could provide alignment of SPECT coordinates with those of CBCT and the LINAC.

An approach to increasing the resolution of industrial CT images based on an aperture collimator

The spatial resolution of CT images is dominated by the focal spot size when it is large relative to the detector cells. We propose an approach to increase the spatial resolution by utilizing an aperture collimator. The aperture collimator is specially designed and placed in front of the X-ray source so that the rays penetrating the collimator form a set of narrow fan beams. Then an iterative algorithm is introduced to reconstruct CT images from the data obtained by scanning the narrow fan beams. Numerical experiments show that the proposed approach could significantly increase the resolution of the CT images. Furthermore, this approach is also robust against some challenging cases, such as the examination of low contrast object, reconstruction based on multi-energy data and perturbation of geometric errors in CT systems.

Design and performance evaluation of a 20-aperture multipinhole collimator for myocardial perfusion imaging applications

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging remains a critical tool in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. However, after more than three decades of use, photon detection efficiency remains poor and unchanged. This is due to the continued reliance on parallel-hole collimators first introduced in 1964. These collimators possess poor geometric efficiency. Here we present the performance evaluation results of a newly designed multipinhole collimator with 20 pinhole apertures (PH20) for commercial SPECT systems. Computer simulations and numerical observer studies were used to assess the noise, bias and diagnostic imaging performance of a PH20 collimator in comparison with those of a low energy high resolution (LEHR) parallel-hole collimator. Ray-driven projector/backprojector pairs were used to model SPECT imaging acquisitions, including simulation of noiseless projection data and performing MLEM/OSEM image reconstructions. Poisson noise was added to noiseless projections for realistic projection data. Noise and bias performance were investigated for five mathematical cardiac and torso (MCAT) phantom anatomies imaged at two gantry orbit positions (19.5 and 25.0 cm). PH20 and LEHR images were reconstructed with 300 MLEM iterations and 30 OSEM iterations (ten subsets), respectively. Diagnostic imaging performance was assessed by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis performed on a single MCAT phantom; however, in this case PH20 images were reconstructed with 75 pixel-based OSEM iterations (four subsets). Four PH20 projection views from two positions of a dual-head camera acquisition and 60 LEHR projections were simulated for all studies. At uniformly-imposed resolution of 12.5 mm, significant improvements in SNR and diagnostic sensitivity (represented by the area under the ROC curve, or AUC) were realized when PH20 collimators are substituted for LEHR parallel-hole collimators. SNR improves by factors of 1.94-2.34 for the five patient anatomies and two orbital positions studied. For the ROC analysis the PH20 AUC is larger than the LEHR AUC with a p-value of 0.0067. Bias performance, however, decreases with the use of PH20 collimators. Systematic analyses showed PH20 collimators present improved diagnostic imaging performance over LEHR collimators, requiring only collimator exchange on existing SPECT cameras for their use.

Progress in BazookaSPECT: High-Resolution, Dynamic Scintigraphy with Large-Area Imagers

We present recent progress in BazookaSPECT, a high-resolution, photon-counting gamma-ray detector. It is a new class of scintillation detector that combines columnar scintillators, image intensifiers, and CCD (charge-coupled device) or CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductors) sensors for high-resolution imaging. A key feature of the BazookaSPECT paradigm is the capability to easily design custom detectors in terms of the desired intrinsic detector resolution and event detection rate. This capability is possible because scintillation light is optically amplified by the image intensifier prior to being imaging onto the CCD/CMOS sensor, thereby allowing practically any consumer-grade CCD/CMOS sensor to be used for gamma-ray imaging. Recent efforts have been made to increase the detector area by incorporating fiber-optic tapers between the scintillator and image intensifier, resulting in a 16× increase in detector area. These large-area BazookaSPECT detectors can be used for full-body imaging and we present preliminary results of their use as dynamic scintigraphy imagers for mice and rats. Also, we discuss ongoing and future developments in BazookaSPECT and the improved event-detection rate capability that is achieved using Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), multi-core processors, and new high-speed, USB 3.0 CMOS cameras.

Improvement of Performance of Cardiac SPECT Camera Using Curved Detectors With Pinholes

SPECT is primarily used in the clinic for cardiac myocardial perfusion imaging. However, for SPECT, sensitivity is impaired due to the need for collimation. System resolution FWHM is poor as well (~ 1 cm). In this work the resolution of a curved detector was theoretically derived. The advantage of a curved detector over a flat detector with pinhole collimation was demonstrated for cardiac applications using theoretical derivations as well as a ray-tracing voxel-based forward projector. For the flat detector using parameters close to what was expected for the new multi-pinhole GE Discovery system, it is shown that using a paraboloid detector one may obtain a better system resolution (about 29% better on the average), keeping same pinhole opening. Alternately, sensitivity gains of as much as 2.25 may be obtained, for similar resolutions as a flat detector by just using a different pinhole with higher hole-diameter.

Comparison of pinhole collimator materials based on sensitivity equivalence

Pinhole SPECT often provides an excellent resolution sensitivity trade-off for radionuclide imaging compared to SPECT with parallel holes, particularly when imaging small experimental animals like rodents. High absorption pinhole materials are often chosen because of their low edge penetration and therefore good system resolution. Capturing more photons in the edges however results in decreased system sensitivity if the pinhole diameter remains the same, which may partly undo the beneficial effect on the resolution. In the search for an optimal trade-off we have compared pinhole projection data and reconstructed images of different materials with pinhole aperture diameters adjusted to obtain equal sensitivity. Monte Carlo calculations modeling the transmission, penetration and scattering of gamma radiation in single pinholes of uranium, gold, tungsten and lead were performed for a range of pinhole opening angles, diameters and gamma ray energies. In addition, reconstructed images of a hot rod phantom were determined for a multipinhole SPECT system and for a system that can image the 511 keV annihilation photons of positron emitting tracers with clustered pinholes. Our results indicate that, under the condition of equal sensitivity, tungsten and for SPECT also lead pinholes perform just as well as gold and uranium ones, indicating that a significant cost reduction can be achieved in pinhole collimator manufacturing while the use of rare or impractical materials can be avoided.

Evaluation of image reconstruction for mouse brain imaging with synthetic collimation from highly multiplexed SiliSPECT projections

We have performed a theoretical study to explore the potential and limitations of synthetic collimation for SPECT imaging with stacked-detector acquisition (dual magnification). This study will be used to optimize SiliSPECT, a small-animal SPECT for imaging small volumes such as a mouse brain at high sensitivity and resolution. The synthetic collimation enables image reconstruction with a limited number of camera views and in the presence of significant multiplexing. We also developed a new formulation to quantify the multiplexed object sensitivity and investigated how this changes for different acquisition parameters such as number of pinholes and combinations of front and back detector distances for imaging objects as small as the mouse brain. In our theoretical studies, we were not only able to demonstrate better reconstruction results by incorporating two detector magnifications in comparison to either one alone, but also observed an improved image reconstruction by optimizing the detector-collimator distances to change the multiplexing ratio between the front and back detectors.

Recent developments and future prospects of SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging

Myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging is the most commonly performed functional imaging for assessment of coronary artery disease. High diagnostic accuracy and incremental prognostic value are the major benefits while suboptimal spatial resolution and significant radiation exposure are the main limitations. Its ability to detect hemodynamic significance of lesions seen on multidetector CT angiogram (MDCTA) has paved the path for a successful marriage between anatomical and functional imaging modalities in the form of hybrid SPECT/MDCTA system. In recent years, there have been enormous efforts by industry and academia to develop new SPECT imaging systems with better sensitivity, resolution, compact design and new reconstruction algorithms with ability to improve image quality and resolution. Furthermore, expected arrival of Tc-99m-labeled deoxyglucose in next few years would further strengthen the role of SPECT in imaging hibernating myocardium. In view of these developments, it seems that SPECT would enjoy its pivotal role in spite of major threat to be replaced by fluorine-18-labeled positron emission tomography perfusion and glucose metabolism imaging agents.

Theoretical bounds and system design for multipinhole SPECT

The pinhole camera in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has an inherent trade-off between resolution and sensitivity. Recent systems overcome this to some extent by utilizing multiple pinholes distributed around the imaging object. The present work is a theoretical study on how to optimally construct such systems. We use an analytic model to analyze the multipinhole SPECT geometry and identify the underlying trade-offs. One of the results is the derivation of the upper bound for the sensitivity, given the geometric resolution and field-of-view (FOV). Reaching this bound requires an infinitely large detector. However, a sensitivity very close to the upper bound can be achieved by a system with realistic proportions. We show that it is usually possible to get a sensitivity that is 95%-99% of the upper bound. Further analysis reveals a trade-off between sensitivity, magnification, and the number of pinholes. Based on this new theory, we develop a strategy for multipinhole SPECT design, from which a number of example systems are computed. Penetration in the pinhole knife edge is accounted for by using the resolution and sensitivity equivalent apertures.

Geometric Sensitivity of a Pinhole Collimator

Geometric sensitivity for single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) is given by a double integral over the detection plane. It would be useful to be able to explicitly evaluate this quantity. This paper shows that the inner integral can be evaluated in the situation where there is no gamma ray penetration of the material surrounding the pinhole aperature. This is done by converting the integral to an integral in the complex plane and using Cauchy's theorem to replace it by one which can be evaluated in terms of elliptic functions.

Theoretical analysis of full-ring multi-pinhole brain SPECT

Presently used clinical brain SPECT suffers from limited spatio-temporal resolution. Here we investigate the feasibility of high-resolution and high-sensitivity full-ring multi-pinhole brain SPECT (MP-SPECT). Using an analytical model we optimized pinhole-detector geometries of MP-SPECT for different detector intrinsic resolutions R(i). System resolution and sensitivity of optimized MP-SPECT were compared to conventional clinical SPECT. The comparison of the system resolution of different systems was done at matched sensitivity, which was achieved by tuning pinhole diameters. Similarly, sensitivities were compared at matched system resolution. For MP-SPECT that uses detectors with intrinsic resolutions of 4 mm > R(i) 0.5 mm a sensitivity can be achieved that is 6.0 times higher than the sensitivity of conventional dual-head SPECT systems with parallel-hole collimators (DualPar), while system resolution can be improved by a factor of 2.4. To achieve these improvements a large detector-to-collimator distance is needed. In contrast, for detectors with intrinsic resolutions <0.2 mm, it is beneficial to place the detectors close to the pinholes, resulting in a high number of de-magnified projections. For a detector intrinsic resolution of 0.05 mm, a 14.5-fold improvement in sensitivity and a 3.8-fold improvement in system resolution compared to DualPar is predicted. Furthermore, we found that for optimized MP-SPECT the sensitivity scales proportionally to system resolution squared, with the proportionality constant depending on R(i). From our sensitivity-system resolution trade-off equations we deduced that MP-SPECT with an ideal detector (R(i) --> 0) can have a system resolution that is 2.0 times better than optimized MP-SPECT with a conventional detector (R(i) approximately 3 mm). The high performance of optimized MP-SPECT may open up completely new molecular imaging applications.

Multidivergent-beam stationary cardiac SPECT

This article develops a stationary cardiac single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system using a novel multidivergent-beam collimator. This stationary SPECT system is inexpensive to build, small, and able to acquire true dynamic SPECT data. Stationary cardiac SPECT systems with multipinhole technology already exist. The proposed approach is to replace the multipinhole collimators with the originally designed multidivergent-beam collimators. The motivation for replacing the pinhole technology by divergent-beam technology is based on the following facts. The resolution/sensitivity trade-off for the pinhole is excellent (good resolution and good sensitivity) only in small object (e.g., small animal) imaging when it operates in the image magnifying mode. However, in large object (e.g., human) imaging, the resolution/sensitivity trade-off is poor (poor resolution and poor sensitivity) when the pinhole operates in the image reducing mode. In a stationary system, the number of angular views is limited; thus, image reduction is necessary to obtain more view angles. In this image reducing situation, divergent-beam collimation is able to provide better resolution and detection sensitivity than pinhole collimation. Computer simulations are carried out to verified the claims.

Feasibility of whole-body functional mouse imaging using helical pinhole SPECT

PURPOSE

Detailed in vivo whole-body biodistributions of radiolabeled tracers may characterize the longitudinal progression of disease, and changes with therapeutic interventions. Small-animal imaging in mice is particularly attractive due to the wide array of well characterized genetically and surgically created models of disease. Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging using pinhole collimation provides high resolution and sensitivity, but conventional methods using circular acquisitions result in severe image truncation and incomplete sampling of data, which prevent the accurate determination of whole-body radiotracer biodistributions. This study describes the feasibility of helical acquisition paths to mitigate these effects.

PROCEDURES

Helical paths of pinhole apertures were implemented using an external robotic stage aligned with the axis of rotation (AOR) of the scanner. Phantom and mouse scans were performed using helical paths and either circular or bi-circular orbits at the same radius of rotation (ROR). The bi-circular orbits consisted of two 360-degree scans separated by an axial shift to increase the axial field of view (FOV) and to improve the complete-sampling properties.

RESULTS

Reconstructions of phantoms and mice acquired with helical paths show good image quality and are visually free of both truncation and axial-blurring artifacts. Circular orbits yielded reconstructions with both artifacts and a limited effective FOV. The bi-circular scans enlarged the axial FOV, but still suffered from truncation and sampling artifacts.

CONCLUSIONS

Helical paths can provide complete sampling data and large effective FOV, yielding 3D full-body in vivo biodistributions while still maintaining a small distance from the aperture to the object for good sensitivity and resolution.

Feasibility of whole-body functional mouse imaging using helical pinhole SPECT

PURPOSE

Detailed in vivo whole-body biodistributions of radiolabeled tracers may characterize the longitudinal progression of disease, and changes with therapeutic interventions. Small-animal imaging in mice is particularly attractive due to the wide array of well characterized genetically and surgically created models of disease. Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging using pinhole collimation provides high resolution and sensitivity, but conventional methods using circular acquisitions result in severe image truncation and incomplete sampling of data, which prevent the accurate determination of whole-body radiotracer biodistributions. This study describes the feasibility of helical acquisition paths to mitigate these effects.

PROCEDURES

Helical paths of pinhole apertures were implemented using an external robotic stage aligned with the axis of rotation (AOR) of the scanner. Phantom and mouse scans were performed using helical paths and either circular or bi-circular orbits at the same radius of rotation (ROR). The bi-circular orbits consisted of two 360-degree scans separated by an axial shift to increase the axial field of view (FOV) and to improve the complete-sampling properties.

RESULTS

Reconstructions of phantoms and mice acquired with helical paths show good image quality and are visually free of both truncation and axial-blurring artifacts. Circular orbits yielded reconstructions with both artifacts and a limited effective FOV. The bi-circular scans enlarged the axial FOV, but still suffered from truncation and sampling artifacts.

CONCLUSIONS

Helical paths can provide complete sampling data and large effective FOV, yielding 3D full-body in vivo biodistributions while still maintaining a small distance from the aperture to the object for good sensitivity and resolution.