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Evaluation of a Multi-pinhole Collimator for Imaging Small Animals with Different Sizes

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Abstract

Purpose

Our goal was to evaluate a multi-pinhole (MPH) collimator which allows changing configurations for mouse imaging and rat imaging.

Procedures

The collimator length can be adjusted from 5 cm for rat imaging to a maximum of 8 cm for mouse imaging. Projections of mouse- and rat-size phantoms were simulated with collimator length of 8 cm, and the rat-size phantom was additionally simulated with collimator length of 5 cm. Bias and noise were assessed in the reconstructed images. Three physical phantoms were used to evaluate the axial sampling and resolutions for one-, four-, and five-pinhole single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Images of three different-sized rodents were also acquired.

Results

Simulations showed that for rat imaging, shorter collimator length provided an improved bias-noise trade-off compared to that of longer collimator length. Axial distortions were significantly reduced for MPH compared to single pinhole imaging. The smallest rods visible for mouse imaging and rat imaging were 1 and 1.6 mm, respectively, and their corresponding absolute sensitivities were 3.47% and 2.02% at the center field-of-view for 5-pinhole imaging. The count ratios were 1:3.78:4.42, respectively, for one-, four-, and five-pinhole for same acquisition time. Good image quality was observed in real animal studies.

Conclusions

This collimator allows flexible single pinhole and MPH SPECT imaging for rodents, achieving high resolution and detection efficiency with minimal image artifacts.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Kathleen Gabrielson from the Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions for providing the doxorubicin rat model, Mr. Gilbert Green and Mr. James Fox from the Small Animal Imaging Resource Program at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions for assisting the experimental preparations. This work was supported in parts by NIH Grants EB1558 and CA92871.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that Dr. Benjamin M. W. Tsui is the co-licensor of software package and the recipient of research contract to Gamma Medica, Inc. Dr. Yuchuan Wang is the co-licensor of software package to Gamma Medica, Inc.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau

    Greta S. P. Mok

  2. Division of Medical Imaging Physics, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Jianhua Yu, Yong Du & Benjamin M. W. Tsui

  3. Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Yuchuan Wang

Authors
  1. Greta S. P. Mok
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  2. Jianhua Yu
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  3. Yong Du
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  4. Yuchuan Wang
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  5. Benjamin M. W. Tsui
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Greta S. P. Mok.

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Mok, G.S.P., Yu, J., Du, Y. et al. Evaluation of a Multi-pinhole Collimator for Imaging Small Animals with Different Sizes. Mol Imaging Biol 14, 60–69 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11307-011-0472-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11307-011-0472-8

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