This study described and validated a new solid-state singlephoton g-camera and compared it with a conventional-SPECT Anger camera. The compact new camera uses a unique method for localizing g-photon information with a bank of 9 solid-state detector columns with tungsten collimators that rotate independently. Methods: Several phantom studies were performed comparing the new technology with conventional-SPECT technology. These included measurements of line sources and single-and dual-radionuclide studies of a torso phantom. Simulations were also performed using a cardiothoracic phantom. Furthermore, 18 patients were scanned with both the new camera and a conventional-SPECT camera. Results: The new camera had a count sensitivity that was 10 times higher than that of the conventional camera and a compensated spatial resolution that was moderately better. Dual-radionuclide studies using a phantom show the further potential of the new camera for a 2-tracer simultaneous acquisition. Two-minute clinical studies with the new camera and 11-min studies with the conventional camera qualitatively showed good-to-excellent image quality and improved myocardial edge definition for the new camera. Conclusion: These initial performance characteristics of a new solid-state single-photon g-camera offer great promise for clinical dynamic SPECT protocols, with important implications for applications in nuclear cardiology and molecular imaging. Nucl ear medicine has evolved as a clinical and research discipline for the noninvasive assessment of physiologic and molecular function in normal and diseased tissues. Principally performed with nanomolar quantities of administered radiopharmaceuticals and an external scintillation camera, nuclear medicine imaging uses 2 types of modalities: singlephoton imaging (including planar imaging and SPECT) and PET, with the former comprising nearly three fourths of all clinical procedures. With SPECT, myocardial perfusion studies predominate; these studies were performed in approximately 7,000,000 patients in the United States in 2004 and provided images of relative myocardial perfusion at rest and under stress. By assessing the extent of ischemic and infarcted myocardium, SPECT provides noninvasive information that has become central in clinical decision making, determining the need for invasive cardiac catheterization and myocardial revascularization in many patients (1,2).SPECT is typically performed using an Anger scintillation camera, named after its inventor, Hal Anger (3). Most myocardial SPECT is performed with 2 scintillation cameras oriented at 90°and mounted on a gantry that rotates around the patient. Typically, each scintillation camera is equipped with parallel-hole high-resolution collimators. Since collimation is necessary to acquire the projection views, only 0.02% of the photons emitted from the heart are collected. As a result, acquisition times of 10-20 min are required for myocardial SPECT studies. Although new detector technologies using solid-state materials have been explored (...

The high-speed SPECT technology provides quantitative measures of myocardial perfusion and function comparable to those with conventional SPECT in one-seventh of the acquisition time.

Cardiac imaging is an integral part of the evaluation of patients with all forms of heart disease. Unfortunately, each imaging modality, including nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, cardiac computed tomography, coronary angiography, and cardiac positron emission tomography, has adopted its own separate and sometimes markedly differing nomenclature, as well as methods of orientation and segmentation of the heart. The lack of common nomenclature and views has resulted in difficulties in optimal patient management, communication between modalities, interpretation of results, and combined research. Attempts by several subspecialty organizations in the past have improved but not resolved these terminology issues. To ultimately resolve these differences, a remarkable committee was convened: The American Heart Association Writing Group on Myocardial Segmentation and Registration for Cardiac Imaging. This writing group was composed of members from the following organizations: the

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