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 mu m 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. 2013 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.