A SPECT camera for combined MRI and SPECT for small animals

D. Meier, D. J. Wagenaar, S. Chen, J. Xu, J. Yu, B. M.W. Tsui

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

We describe an MR-compatible SPECT camera for small animals. The SPECT camera system can be inserted into the bore of a state-of-the-art MRI system and allows researchers to acquire tomographic images from a mouse in-vivo with the MRI and the SPECT acquiring simultaneously. The SPECT system provides functional information, while MRI provides anatomical information. Until today it was impossible to operate conventional SPECT inside the MRI because of mutual interference. The new SPECT technology is based on semiconductor radiation sensors (CZT, ASICs), and it fits into conventional high field MRI systems with a minimum 12-cm bore size. The SPECT camera has an MR-compatible multi-pinhole collimator for mice with a Ø25-mm field-of-view. For the work reported here we assembled a prototype SPECT camera system and acquired SPECT and MRI data from radioactive sources and resolution phantoms using the camera outside and inside the MRI.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)731-734
Number of pages4
JournalNuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Volume652
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2011

Keywords

  • MRI
  • Molecular imaging
  • Multi-modality imaging
  • SPECT

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nuclear and High Energy Physics
  • Instrumentation

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