We have developed a combined SPECT/CT using a novel approach based on a low-cost CT scanner. The design is compact, is readily upgradeable and does not compromise either machine's diagnostic or functional capabilities.
Purpose: Noise levels of brain SPECT images are highest in central regions, due to preferential attenuation of photons emitted from deep structures. To address this problem, the authors have designed a novel collimator for brain SPECT imaging that yields greatly increased sensitivity near the center of the brain without loss of resolution. This hybrid collimator consisted of ultrashort cone-beam holes in the central regions and slant-holes in the periphery (USCB). We evaluated this collimator for quantitative brain imaging tasks. Methods: Owing to the uniqueness of the USCB collimation, the hole pattern required substantial variations in collimator parameters. To utilize the lead-casting technique, the authors designed two supporting plates to position about 37 000 hexagonal, slightly tapered pins. The holes in the supporting plates were modeled to yield the desired focal length, hole length, and septal thickness. To determine the properties of the manufactured collimator and to compute the system matrix, the authors prepared an array of point sources that covered the entire detector area. Each point source contained 32 µCi of Tc-99m at the first scan time. The array was imaged for 5 min at each of the 64 shifted locations to yield a 2-mm sampling distance, and hole parameters were calculated. The sensitivity was also measured using a point source placed along the central ray at several distances from the collimator face. High-count projection data from a five-compartment brain phantom were acquired with the three collimators on a dual-head SPECT/CT system. The authors calculated Cramer-Rao bounds on the precision of estimates of striatal and background activity concentration. In order to assess the new collimation system to detect changes in striatal activity, the authors evaluated the precision of measuring a 5% decrease in right putamen activity. The authors also reconstructed images of projection data obtained by summing data from the individual phantom compartments. Results: The sensitivity of the novel cone-beam collimator varied with distance from the detector face; it was higher than that of the fan-beam collimator by factors ranging from 2.7 to 162. Examination of the projections of the point sources revealed that only a few holes were distorted or partially blocked, indicating that the intensive manual fabrication process was very successful. Better reconstructed phantom images were obtained from the USCB+FAN collimator pair than from either LEHR or FAN collimation. For the left caudate, located near the center of the brain, the detected counts were 9.8 (8.3) times higher for UCSB compared with LEHR (FAN), averaged over 60 views. The task-specific SNR for detecting a 5% decrease in putamen uptake was 7.4 for USCB and 3.2 for LEHR. Conclusions: The authors have designed and manufactured a novel collimator for brain SPECT imaging. The sensitivity is much higher than that of a fan-beam collimator. Because of differences between the manufactured collimator and its design, reconstruction of the data require...
Purpose: We have designed a novel collimator for brain SPECT imaging that yields greatly increased sensitivity near the center of the brain without loss of resolution. The collimator was manufactured and initial evaluation has been completed. Methods: The collimator was time‐consuming and challenging to build. Because our desired hole pattern required substantial variations in hole angle, we designed two supporting plates to securely position about 34,000 hexagonal, slightly tapered, 75‐mm long steel pins. The holes in the plates were modeled to yield the desired focal length, hole length and septal thickness. Molten lead was poured in between the plates, and all pins were removed after cooling. The sensitivity gain compared to a fan‐beam collimator was measured using a point source placed along the central ray at several distances from the collimator face. Visual inspection of the holes was not possible as the collimator was sealed so it could be safely mounted on a SPECT system. Therefore, we prepared a 2D array of 768, ∼48μCi Tc‐99m point sources, separated by 1.6 cm. The array was imaged for 10 minutes at 4 shifted locations to reduce sampling distance to 8 mm. Results: The sensitivity of the novel cone‐beam collimator varied with distance from the detector face; it was higher than that of the fan‐beam collimator by factors ranging from 3 to 176. Examination of the projections of the 4×768 point sources revealed that fewer than 2% of the holes were fully or partially blocked, which indicates that the intensive manual fabrication process was very successful. Conclusion: We have designed and manufactured a novel collimator for brain SPECT imaging. As expected, the sensitivity is much higher than that of a fan‐beam collimator. Because of differences between the manufactured collimator and its design, reconstruction of the data will require a measured system function.
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